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D 


D 


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Coloured  covers/ 
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I     I   Covers  damaged/ 


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Tl 
tc 


|~~]   Coloured  pages/ 


n 


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Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqu*  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


7 


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I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — 1  Only  edition  available/ 


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26X 


30X 


12X 


16X 


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24X 


28X 


32X 


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darniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
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originaux  sont  filmAs  an  commen9ant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darniAre  page  qui  comporte  una  telle 
empreinte. 

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et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaira.  Les  diagrammas  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthoda. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

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5 

6 

THE    STORY   TELLER. 
From  a  Carving  by  W.  S.  Phillips. 


TOTEM   TALES 


Indian  Stories  Indian  Told 


GATHERED  IN  THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 


BT 


W.  s.  Phillips 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED  BY  THF.  AUTHOR. 


CHICAGO: 
STAR  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1896 


H* 


COPYRIQHTBD  1896,  BY 
W.  S.  PHILLIPS. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 


DEDICATION. 


There  are  two  wee  tots  of  few  summers  not  far  from 
wliore  I  write  who  have  listened  to  the  taU»s  of  the 
Talking  Pine  with  silent  interest  and  wonderment. 
Their  eyes  grow  big,  and  bigger  as  they  listen  to  the 
wonderful  doings  of  the  strange  characters  of  which  I 
write,  and  when  the  story  is  finished  they  climb  up  in 
my  lap  and  two  tiny  heads  covered  with  curls,  tlmt 
shine  like  the  flecks  of  gold  among  the  mountain  river 
sands,  nestle  close  to  me  and  baby  arms  circle  round 
my  neck.  They  snuggle  close  to  me,  awed,  half  believ- 
ing that  it  is  all  real,  but  so  interested  in  the  fair^'  folk 
that  they  want  "just  one  more  story,"  and  I  must  not 
deny  it. 

May  their  baby  sweetness  never  grow  less,  and  may 
their  "Tah-mah-na-wis"  be  always  ready  to  protect 
them  on  their  journey  through  the  life  allotted  to  mor- 
tals, which  is,  after  all,  only  a  grown-up  arrangement 
of  the  Talking  Pine  tales,  that  they  now  love  to  hear 
and  half  believe. 

lii 

201935 


mimmm 


Iv 


DEDICATION. 


To  these  two,  then— to  little  Laura,  the  one  with  the 
curls  of  gold,  and  to  her  baby  brother,  little  Elden— 
this  volume  is  lovingly  dedicated,  with  the  best  wishes 
^'  THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE, 


I , 


The  stories  contained  in  this  little  volume  under  the 
title  of  "Totem  Tales"  are  the  result  of  careful  study 
and  research  among  various  tribes  of  Indians  of  the 
Northwestern  Pacific  Coast. 

The  Indian  peculiarity  of  narration  is  kept  as  nearly 
as  possible,  consistent  with  an  understandable  transla- 
tion from  the  native  tongue  into  English. 

The  Indian  names  are  all  spelled  phonetically,  nec- 
essarily, so  they  should  be  pronounced  as  they  are  writ- 
ten— by  the  wounds  represented.  The  stories  constitute 
the  embodiment  of  the  Indian  mytho-religious  beliefs, 
and,  as  they  are  gathered  from  several  tribes,  they  will 
sometimes  clash  as  to  the  doings  or  looks  of  some  of 
the  characters,  and  in  some  cases  the  same  character 
is  mentioned  by  a  different  name,  arising  from  the  dif- 
ferent tribal  languages. 

The  general  idea  of  the  white  people  seems  to  be 

that  Indians  believe  in  one  supreme  being,  or  "Great 

Spirit,"  which  corresponds  to  the  God  of  our  Bible. 

This  is  not  the  case  at  all,  for  their  religion  is  a 

v 


vl 


PREFACE. 


mixture  of  Tah-mah-na-\vis,  or  magic;  Skal-lal-a-toots, 
or  fairies,  and  Too-muck,  or  devils,  the  evil  spirits, 
coupled  with  a  vast  legendary  lore  of  a  purely  mythical 
nature — fairy  stories,  in  fact — of  which  "Totem  Tales" 
constitute  a  part. 

They  are  a  very  superstitious  people  and  have  signs, 
charms,  and  incantations  for  everything.  Magic  plays 
an  important  part  in  every  Indian's  everyday  life  and 
is  interwoven  with  his  doings  and  those  of  his  ances- 
tors and  of  the  magic  personages  described  in  the 
legends,  as,  for  example,  "Spe-ow." 

Some  of  the  stories  contained  in  this  volume  were 
told  to  the  author  by  the  side  of  the  campfire  in  the 
great  forest  of  the  far  Northwest,  others  were  obtained 
from  "squaw  men"  who  had  married  into  the  tribe  and 
were  familiar  with  the  tales,  others  were  gathered  from 
men  of  long  residence  in  the  Northwest,  who  had  hoard 
them  from  the  old  Indian  story-tellers,  characters  who 
are  fast  vanishing  with  civilization. 

Cold  type  utterly  fails  to  reveal  the  interest  and  fas- 
cination of  these  weird  and  simple  tales  as  heard  from 
the  lips  of  some  old  and  wrinkled  member  of  the  tribe, 
a  trained  story-teller,  while  crouched  by  the  side  of  a 
blaze  in  the  open  air. 

His  eyes  shine  with  interest  in  his  own  story,  and  he 


-  -—- ; ;  itiyr  itif  ■»m>»«i 


mmmimm> 


PREFACE. 


VU 


a»> 


acts  as  much  of  it  as  he  can,  posturing,  gesticulating, 
talking  with  his  hands  as  much  as  with  his  mouth,  and 
the  musical  gutturals  of  the  Indian  tongue  adding 
greatly  to  the  story  value  of  the  tale. 

The  giant  pines  rise  up  and  up  from  the  circle  of  the 
light  until  they  are  lost  in  the  blackness  that  is  only 
intensified  by  the  blaze.  The  shadows  flit  about  as  the 
fire  flickers,  and  it  is  not  long  until  every  Indian  in  the 
circle  of  listeners  imagines  he  can  see  demons  and 
fairies  in  the  nooks  of  every  bush  and  peeping  from 
behind  the  giant  trees,  and  they  are  in  precisely  the 
same  state  of  mind  that  children  are  who  listen  to,  a.:\  1 
believe,  the  frightful  ghost  stories  told  them  by  sonio 
old  woman. 

It  is  another  phase  of  voo-dooism,  a  dealing  in  magic 
and  magic  personages,  and  every  legend  has  been 
called  into  being  by  the  thirst  of  the  human  mind  to 
know  the  origin  of  things  which  it  does  not  compre- 
hend. 

The  legends  account  for  the  presence  of  mountains 
and  other  natural  objects,  the  beginning,  or  creation, 
of  animals,  birds,  etc.,  and  the  reason  for  the  world 
being  as  it  is  to-day. 

At  this  late  date  it  is  difficult  to  separate  the  Bible 
stories  told  by  missionaries,  years  ago,  to  the  Indians, 


viil 


PREFACE. 


and  which  have  since  drifted  into  legendary  lore 
twisted  to  fit  the  Indian  view,  and  worn  almost  unrec- 
ognizable by  many  repetitions,  from  that  part  which  is 
purely  legendary  and  of  Indian  origin. 

This  the  author  has  endeavored  to  do,  using  time 
and  patience,  listening  to  the  same  story  from  different 
sources,  until  the  Totem  Tales  embody  the  pure  Indian 
stories  which  are  told  around  the  winter  night  story- 
fire  in  the  lodges  of  the  Northwest. 

With  these  words  of  explanation  I  launch  these 
"Talking  Pine"  tales  on  the  troubled  sea  of  public  opin- 
ion, with  the  hope  that  they  will  as  greatly  interest 
the  young  readers  into  whose  hands  they  may  chance 
to  fall  as  they  interested  a  group  of  little  folks  in  one 
of  our  Western  cities  the  first  time  I  told  them  of 
"Spe-ow"  and  had  to  go  away  leaving  them  dancing  on 
the  lawn  and  calling,  "More!  more!  tell  us  more." 

W.  8.  P. 


■WWiajMiiijl^tiHW^JI 


CREDIT  MENTION. 


For  efficient  aid  in  procnring  the  material  for 
"Totem  Tales"  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  A.  Costello,  of 
Seattle,  Wash.,  a  fellow  "crank  on  Indians"  who 
tramped  the  great  woods  in  company  with  me  and 
jotted  down  the  notes  while  my  pencil  was  busy  with 
sketches.  Together  we  drew  the  stories,  or  many  of 
them,"  from  the  people  we  met  on  this  trip. 

Mr.  Ed.  Grant,  a  personal  friend  and  former  resi- 
dent of  the  Northwest,  has  also  given  me  many  inside 
points  on  the  mysterious  Kloo-Kwallie  dance  which 
have  filled  out  my  own  knowledge  of  this  ceremony. 
His  graphic  recitals  of  the  everyday  habits  of  the  Quin- 
ault  tribe  have  also  helped  to  a  truer  insight  of  the  wild 
men,  and  he  got  his  knowledge  from  five  years'  resi- 
dence with  them. 

I'hree  of  the  stories,  namely,  "The  Wind  Dance," 
"The  Kain  Song,"  and  "Kloo-Kwallie,  the  Medicine 
Dance,"  were  first  printed  as  they  appear  here  in  the 


*  CREDIT    MENTION. 

"Forest  and  Stream"  of  New  York,  and  seemed  to  have 
had  at  least  some  interested  readers;  in  fact,  their 
comments  started  me  on  th3  idea  of  grouping  these 
legends  in  book  form.  ^      t'    h 

THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


The  Talking  Pine  19 

Song  of  the  Waters 24 

Dance  of  the  Wind 35 

Ka-lie-hete,  the  Chief  of  the  Demons 41 

Birth  of  Sliamson    • ^1 

The  Deeds  of  Yelth  ^^ 

Wee-nat-chee,  the  Rainbow   ^^ 

Cawk,  the  Beaver's  Daughter   78 

Quaw-te-aht,  the  Changer  91 

Thp  Great  Waters  99 

The  Crow  Children  108 

Kit-ai-na-o,   the   Stone   Mother    114 

The  Rain  Song 124 

Of  Wah-wah-hoo,  the  Frog 130 

Kloo-Kwallie,  the  Medicine  Dance 146 

About  the  River  Falls   157 

Tale  of  the  Demons  166 

Magic  of  the  Evil  Eye  175 

Concerning  a  Hunter  and  a  Bear  '. 189 

Doak-a-Batl,  the  Maker  194 

Birth  of  the  Sun  204 

Spe-ow  and  the  Spider 212 

Ta-ko-mah,  the  Mountain 223 

The   Bear   Mother    241 

Yelth  and  the  Butterfly  242 

Klale  Tah-mah-na-wls   257 

Reading  of  the  Totem  Pole    269 

Carving  of  the  Medicine  Rattle 280 

Skamson,  the  Thunderer  285 

The  Sing-Gamble 294 

The  Tab-mab-na-wlB  of  S'doaks  302 

Xi 


lii'iTmrnirr-iiihim 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Story  Teller  Frontispiece. 

A  bioping  Beach  for  the  Canoos  to  Come  Against 20 

Where  the  Children  May  Waie 21 

The  Talking  Pine  22 

T'solo  on  the  Lake  22 

T'solo  and  the  Talking  Pine  25 

Wee-wye-kee   26 

Al-ki-cheek   Shells    26 

Mowitch,  the  Deer   26 

Tzum-pish,   the  Trout    26 

The  Rocks  Try  to  Hold  Me  27 

The  Mountain  Sheep  29 

The  Ferns  and  the  Pool  30 

To  Them  I  Have  Given  Many  Drinks  31 

Skall-lal-a-toots   37 

Moccasin    38 

The  Night   Bird    42 

The  Path  That  S'noqualm,  the  Moon,  Made 43 

Ka-ke-hete    45 

Balck    45 

Ka-ke-hete  on  the  River  46 

The  Wind  Fought  Ka-ke-hete  a  Great  Battle 47 

Carving  of  Ka-ke-hete 49 

Skal-lal-aye  Musk    49 

Too-lux    52 

Quoots-hoi    52 

Too-lux  Caught  a  Little  Whale   53 

The  Whale— Haida  Drawing  55 

The  Little  Whale— Haida  Drawing 56 

xiU 


xiv 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


But  Too-lux  Cut  the  Wbale  Across  the  Back   67 

Yelth  Made  Love  to  the  Eagle's  Daughter  til 

Yelth  63 

Ravens 63 

Yelth  Flew  Out  of  the  Smoke  Hole 64 

Yelth  Flew  wi'th  the  Fire 65 

Looked  Down  at  the  Great  Mountains  69 

Chee-chee-watah    * 70 

Chee-watum   YO 

Gave  Chethl  a  Magic  Bear  Skin  71 

White  Water  Flower  73 

Left  Her  Body  Lying  on  the  Floor 74 

Made   Magic  Medicine    75 

The  Keeper  of  the  Dead  76 

Cawk  Goes  with  the  Chief  of  the  Sea  Gulls  79 

T'sing,  the  Beaver 81 

A  Lodge  of  Pish  Skins  82 

Killed  Him  and  Cut  Oft  His  Head  83 

Tipsu-Koshoo.   the   Seal    ; 84 

He  Cut  Her  Fingers  Oft 85 

Called  to  Her  Totem,  Hootza 88 

Hootza,  the  Wolf  89 

Quaw-te-aht  92 

A  Little  Boy  Crying 93 

Ohee-chee-'watah    95 

Threw  His  Knife  at  the  Man  97 

Made  Magic  to  Call  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-m"^  na-wis  101 

A  Salmon  Spear 10? . 

Made  Cedar  Bark  Ropes  104 

G'Klobet  Loaded  His  Biggest  Canoe 105 

The  Other  Canoes  Drifted  Away  106 

They  Answered  with  the  Voices  of  Crows  109 

Left  Them  by  the  Canoe  Ill 

And  So  Jt  Was  He  Carved  the  Totem  Pole  112 

The  Crow 113 

She  Laughed  at  the  Child  of  Skoolt-ka 115 

Skoolt-ka  Had  Only  One  Child  117 

The  Tribe  of  Hootza  Met  in  Council  ,.  11$ 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


XV 


The  Tribe  of  Hoot-za  Ran  to  Her  Lodge 119 

The  Stone  Woman  122 

Sat  and  Smoked  My  Pipe  125 

Flowers  and  Grasses j *126 

The  Pines  Danced  the  Wind  Dance 127 

The  Great  Chief  131 

Smolied  the  Peace  Pipe 132 

Wah-wah-hoo    133 

Carried  Her  into  the  Forest  135 

The  Eagle  Circled  High  137 

T'set-shin,  the  Snake  138 

The  Squirrel  Watched    139 

The  Tribe  of  the  Mosquitoes   139 

The  Wolves  Smelled  the  Ground  140 

Plunged  Off   into  the  Whirlpool   141 

The  Chief  of  the  Fishes  Took  Him 142 

White  Men  Call  Her  the  Will-o-the-Wisn  143 

Spud-tee-dock   147 

They  Looked  Like  Black  Shadows 149 

Held  S'doaks  with  His  Back  Close  to  the  Fire 151 

With  These  He  Scourged  Himself  152 

The  Medicine  Lodge  , 153 

S'doaks  Fell  Down  155 

Medicine  Pipe  155 

A  Sheet  of  Hurrying,  Singing  Water  xuS 

The  River  Falls , 159 

The  Demon  Fought  a  Great  Fight  161 

No  Swimmer  Could  Live  Here  163 

The  Story  Pipe  167 

A  Big  Demon  Who  Was  the  Worst  One  168 

The  Big  Demon  Made  a  Good  Talk  169 

The  Ground  Cracked  Open  171 

The  Great  River  172 

His  Tail  Was  Broken   173 

The  Evil  Eye 177 

A  Medicine  Man 179 

A  Too-muck    179 

Charm  Mask 180 


zvi 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Medicine  Bag 180 

A  Baby  of  a  Smiling  Face  181 

Found  Her  with  Touats  at  the  Spring 185 

The  Grouse 187 

Touats    187 

Indian  Drawing  on  Robe 188 

Touats  and  Hoots  Fought  a  Great  Fight 189 

Hoots,  the  Bear  191 

Doak-a-batl   195 

T'shumin,  the  Canoe  Chopper 196 

He  Wove  a  Willow  Weir  197 

A  Medicine  Man  Dancing  199 

Enapoo,  the  Muskrat  ,. .  200 

Left  Three  Big  Traclis '. .  201 

Found  His  Brother  Occupying  His  Place    205 

The  Moon  Boy  208 

The  Sun  Brother  209 

Spe-ow    214 

The  Moon  Chief  Found  Him  in  the  Trap 215 

Ki-ki,  the  Blue  Jay  217 

Spe-ow  Threw  Up  the  Sun  218 

S'noqualm  Fell  to  the  Ground 219 

S'noqualm    220 

The  Tyee  Spider  221 

Spe-ow  Kicked  the  Bluff  Over 222 

The  Mountain,  Takomah  225 

Hia-qua   227 

He  Went  Away  at  the  Coming  of  Night 229 

The  Black  Lake  and  the  Tah-mah-na-wis  Rocks 230 

The  Elkhorn  Pick  231 

He  Started  to  Climb  Out  232 

The  Wind  Threw  Him  Over  the  Rocks 233 

Smoked  and  Had  Many  Thoughts  237 

An  Old  Woman  by  the  Lodge  Door 239 

The  Spotted  Water  Bird  242 

Indian  Carving  of  the  Bear  Mother  243 

The  Women  Made  Fun  of  Hoots 245 

Hoots  Carried  Away  the  Chief's  Daughter  247 


Hf 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


zvii 


180 

181 

185 

187 

187 

188 

189 

191 

195 

196 

197 

199 

200 

201 

205 

208 

209 

,  214 

215 

217 

218 

219 

220 

,  221 

.  222 

,  226 

.  227 

.  229 

230 

.  231 

.  232 

.  233 

.  237 

.  239 

.  242 

.  243 

.  245 

.  247 


Killed  Hoots,  the  Bear  249 

Hoots  Knows  Where  Good  Eating  Is   253 

They  Searched  for  Homes  for  the  Tribes  of  Men 256 

Tah-mah-na-wis  Wolf  Masks  258 

The   Klale   Tah-mah-na-wis   Dance    259 

Tah-mah-na-wis  Masks    262 

A  Skall-lal-a-toot    263 

Tah-mah-na-wis  Masks    265 

The  Dancers  Sat  Down 206 

The  Thunder  Bird  Mask  261 

The  Great  Totem  Pole  271 

The  Lodge  of  the  Dead  Man  274 

I  Brought  the  Great  Pole  from  the  Canoe  275 

this  Is  the  Tale  278 

The   Medicine   Rattle    281 

Medicine  Rattle  283 

Indian  Drawing  of  Skamson  286 

The  Flight  of  Skamson  287 

Indian  Drawings  of  Skamson  289,  290,  291 

War  Club    291 

Where  the  White  Men  Live  by  the  Lake 292 

Indian  Drawings  of  Skamson  293 

Gamble   Sticks    296 

Made  a  Motion  to  That  Side  297 

The  Fire  Had  Burned  Low   299 

S'doaks    303 

S'doaks,  Listen! 305 

Knife    307 

I  Am  Tah-mah-na-wis 308 

Ki-ki  Told  Him  to  Rest  by  the  River 309 

Mink  Dragging  a  Blue  Jay  312 


RnBOMESsmlL, 


f)  AJi  away  in  the  unmapped  West, 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  last  chain  of 
hills  that  mark  the  rim  of  the  land, 
is  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains.  The 
Lake  of  the  Mountains  is  very  deep 
and  very  blue,  and  it  is  pure  and  sweet,  for  it  is  cradled 
in  the  mountain  valley,  and  the  great  peaks  are 
painted  in  it,  upside  down,  by  the  Skal-lal-a-toots,  as 
they  always  paint  things  in  the  water. 

To  know  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains  is  to  love  it  for 
its  beauty  and  its  songs.  The  opal  armoured  trout 
and  the  bronzy  bass  are  there  and  the  burnished  gleam 
of  the  lusty  salmon  is  not  strange  to  its  waters. 

All  these  things  the  Indians  have  known  for  many 
moons.  They  know  that  the  blue  woods  wL  ch  hover 
about  shelter  all  kinds  of  wild  things,  so  they  have 
camped  for  many,  many  summers  on  the  shore  of  the 

19 


20 


TOTEM   TALES. 


Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and  always  at  the  same  place, 
which  is  on  a  point  that  puts  out  into  the  lake 
and  makes  a  sheltered  cove  with  a  sandy  beach,  where 
the  canoes  can  come  against  the  shore,  and  where 
the  children  may  wade  in  the  water. 

Just  back  of  the  landing,  on  the  top  of  the  small 


A  SLOPING  BEACH  FOR  THE3  CANOES  TO   COME   AGAINST. 

ri<lge  of  land  that  goes  on  and  on  up  to  the  moun- 
tains, stands  a  great  Pine,  with  a  goodly  space  under 
his  spreading  branches  where  a  dance  may  be  held 
and  a  council  fire  be  built.    Back  of  this  pine  are  other 


m 


THE  TALKING   PINE. 


21 


e  place, 
le  lake 
,  where 
where 

small 


moun- 

under 

c  held 

^  other 


pines,  and  back  of  them  are  others  still,  and  others, 
until  the  world  is  blue  with  pines,  and  they  cover  the 
mountains  even  up  to  the  deep  snow. 

These  are  only  common  pines,  and  the  great  one  all 
alone,  the  one  who  is  so  very  old  and  tall,  and  whose 
arms  are  withered  in  places,  and  whose  head  is  grey 


WHERE  THE  CHILDREN  MAY  WADE. 

with  age,  is  the  Talking  Pine,  the  wise  one  of  all  the 
nation  of  Pine  Trees,  and  is  the  friend  of  T'solo,  the 
wanderer. 

I  am  called  "T'solo"  the  wanderer,  and  I  have  been 
in  many  lands,  but  the  Talking  Pine  has  told  me 


22 


TOTEM   TALES. 


about  stranger  things  and  stranger  men  than  I  ever 
saw,  and  many  nights  I  have  crossed  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains  in  my  canoe,  that  I  might  sit 
at  the  foot  of  the  great  tree  and  liear  the 
tales. 

These  tales  I  will  now  give  to  you  as 
I  heard  them,  for  they  are  good  things  to 
know,  and  there  is  much  of  the  wisdom 
of  age  in  them,  for  the  Talking  Pine  is 
very,  very  old,  and  very  wise,  and  T'solo's 
word  is  the  word  of  the  pine. 

All  the  rest  of  the  Pines  are  of  the 
nation  of  the  Talking  Pine,  but  he  is  the 
Tyee,  the  great  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  is  the  leader  in 
all  the  dances  and  songs  of  the  woods,  and  the  friend 
of  all  the  wild  things  that  live  in  the  woods.  Ilis  wis- 
dom is  deep,  for  he  is  old  and 
has  heard  many  councils,  and 
many  councils  make  one  very 
wise.  Because  he  is  so  wise  all 
things  ask  aid  and  good  words 
of  him. 

Once  there  were  many  strange      t-soio  on  the  Lake, 
beings  in  this  country,  and  many  strange  things  hap- 
pened, so  now  there  are  many  stories  to  be  told  to 


The  Talking  Pine. 


i 


m 


THE   TALKING   PINE.  tt 

those  who  do  not  know  of  these  things  that  happened 
h")ng  ago.  Now,  all  who  love  tales  of  the  wild  things, 
and  of  their  wisdom,  should  come  to  the  story  fire; 
for  while  it  bums  will  be  talked  the  talk  of  the  Pine, 
and  there  is  wisdom  and  strange  things  to  be  told. 

We  will  light  the  story  tire  and  put  a  coal  against 
the  chinoos  that  is  in  the  pipe,  and  when  the  smoke 
begins  to  warm  the  mind,  and  the  fire  begins  to  warm 
the  bones,  we  will  hear  the  tales,  and  through  these 
tales  you  will  learn  the  wisdom  and  of  the  good  heart 
of  the  Talking  Pine,  the  Wise  One,  that  dwells  by  the 
Lake  of  the  Mountains,  which  are  piled  against  the 
great  water  by  T'set-se-la-litz,  the  country  of  the  Sun- 
down. 


HEN  the  story  fire  was  burning  the 
first  time  I  came  to  listen  to  the 
Talking  Pine  he  told  me  of  the  Song 
of  the  Waters  this  way: 

"T'solo,   the   wanderer,   listen   to 
the  tale  of  the  waters. 

"In  the  country  called  T'set-se-la-Iitz,  which  is  the 
Ifind  of  the  Sundown,  there  is  a  great  high  mountain 
^'liich  is  named  T'ko-mah,  the  one  that  feeds. 

"This  is  because  the  rivers  that  come  from  there 
are  white  like  milk,  and  the  mountain  is  white  and 
round  like  the  breast  of  a  woman,  and  the  people  of 
the  mountain  give  it  this  name  because  a  woman  feeds 
her  children  from  her  breast,  as  T'ko-mah  feeds  its 
children,  which  are  the  rivers. 

"One  river  that  comei  from  T'ko-mah  is  called 
D'wampsh,  the  crooked  one  that  sings,  and  it  tells 

24 


£^ 


SONG   OF   THE   WATERS. 


25 


tales  of  the  mountains  and  of  the  woods  to  those  who 
know  its  speech. 

"Now  Wee-wye-kee,  the  grandmother,  is  very  oi'd, 
and  is  a  friend  of  the  crooked  one  that  sings,  and  is 
also  my  friend. 

"Wee-wye-kee  knows  the  language  of  D'wampsh 
and  knows  all  his  songs,  and  she  told  the  songs  to  me, 


frWrft 


/«%»» 


IM 


III  I,  Ik 


(I 


T'SOLO  AND  THE  TALKING  PINE. 

and  now  I  sing  them  for  you,  T'solo.    It  is  the  soug 
of  the  waters  like  this: 

"I  am  the  wild  one,  the  crooked  one  that  sings, 
D'wampsh.    My  father  is  the  snow  and  my  mother  is 


V^^^m  MP! 


26 


TOTEM   TALES. 


T'ko-mah.  The  heart  of  my  father  is  cold,  but  the 
heart  of  my  mother  is  warm,  for  it  is  the  fire,  and  I 
am  born.    A-a-ah-na!    And  I  am  born! 

"I  sing,  I  leap,  I  run — 

I,  D'wampsh,  the  crooked 

one — and  I  am  happy,  for 

I  know  many  friends.     I 

know  T'kope-raowitch,  the 

wee-wye-kee.       white  goat,  that  Hvcs  by 

my  mother,  and  to  him  and  his  brothers,  the 

mountain  sheep,  I  have  given  many  drinks.    ^'' siienli!'' 

"I  know  Mowitch,  the  deer,  and  Moos-moos,  the 
great  elk,  whose  horns  are  like  the  arms  of  a  pine. 
"I  know  Yelth,  who  is  the  Raven,  the  maker  of 


Mowitch,  the  Deer. 


T'zum-piBh,  the  Trout. 


the  fire,  and  I  am  at  war  with  the  fire.    Ah-ee-e!    I 
am  always  at  war  with  the  fire. 


I® 


TKE  ROCKS  TRY  TO  HOLD  MB. 


» 


SONG   OF  THE   WATERS.  29 

"I  love  the  woods,  who  are  wise,  and  I  love  the 
ferns,  who  are  small,  and  who  shade  my  face  with 
their  fingers,  and  I  love  the  rocks  who  are  big,  and 
strong,  and  hard. 

"The  rocks  play  with  me  and  try  to  hold  me  with 
their  big,  hard  fingers,  but  they  can't!  They  can't! 
lla!    Ha!    They  can't!    I  run,  I  leap,  and  I  sing,  and 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. 

am  free!    I,  D'wampsh,  the  crooked  one,  I  ,sing  and 

am  free. 

"Ah-e-e-e,  Wee-wye-ke,  the  grandmother,  they  can't 
[stop  me,  for  I  am  always  going  to  the  council  of  the 
[great  water  that  is  by  Ill-a-hee  Al-ki,  the  land  of  the 
Bye  and  Bye. 


4il 


iillfj 


30 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"Come  with  me,  Wee-wye-ke,  come  in  your  cauim, 
and  I  will  carry  you  to  Ill-a-liee  Al-ki,  and  give  you 
Al-ki-cheek,  the  shells  to  wear  in  your  ears,  and  to 
trim  moccasins  with.  Ah-e-e-e,  Wee-wye-ke,  come  and 
you  shall  have  Al-ki-cheek,  plenty  of  it. 


THE  FERNS  AND  POOL. 


"I  have  got  the  gold  that  m '  mother  gives  me, 
ha!  ha!  The  yellow  gold  that  Squintum,  the  white 
man,  seeks! 

"Yes,  I  have  it,  plenty!  plenty!  plenty!    But  I  bury 


iir  canim, 

give  you 

•s,  and  to 

come  and 


■i::m^^ 


'i'Jiyll     , 


'  gives  me, 
,  tlie  white 

But  I  bury 


SONG   OF   THE   WATERS.  88 

it  in  my  saud,  be!  he!     I  bury  it  iu  my  saud,  deep 

down,  and  tben  I  roar,  and  foam,  and  »ing,  and  tbe 

Squintum  cannot  find  tbe  gold,  and  it  is  well. 

"Ab-e-e-e,  Wee-wye-ke,  it  is  well,  for  tbe  wbite  man, 

Squintum,  is  tbirsty  to  kill  when  bis  eyes  sbine  Avitb 

tbe  yellow  gold.    So  I  bide  it  and  sing  on,  and  let  bim 

hunt! 

"I  sing  to  tbe  rushes  until  they  sleep,  and  I  give 

[them  drink  for  their  tbirsty  stems.    Tbe  willows,  too, 

[drink  of  my  water,  and  it  is  well. 

"T'zum,  the  spotted  trout,  lives  in  my  shadow  and 

[waits   until   his   grandmother,   tbe   Chinook   salmon, 

[comes  from  the  sea,  tbe  council  of  water,  then  be 
^rows  fat  on  eggs,  Ab-e-e-e,  Wee-wye-ke,  tben  tbe  can- 

[nibal  grows  fat  on  eggs. 

"I  know  Eua,  tbe  beaver,  and  Kula-kula,  tbe  wild 

[duck,  and  I  know  Enapoo,  tbe  muskrat,  the  lazy  one 
that  sits  in  the  sun.  I  know  many,  many  more,  Wee- 
vye-ke,  many  more,  and  they  are  all  my  friends.  Have 
^ou  not  heard  the  song  of  the  lonesome  one,  Wab- 
vab-hoo,  tbe  frog?  Wab-wab-hoo  is  my  friend,  too, 
ind  sings  at  night  for  Hab-hah,  who  was  bis  wife,  and 

l^vbo  is  dead. 

"Now,  \\'ee-wye-ke,  I  must  hurry,  for  I  bear  the 

[song  of  the  Skamson,  tbe  Thunderbird,  and  soon  the 


Im 


■ill] 


B 


84 


TOTEM    TALES. 


raiii  will  come,  aud  1  must  dauee  tlieu  and  carry  it  to 
the  sea;   Klook-vvab,  Wee-wye-ke." 

And  so  ended  the  song  of  the  water  as  Ka-ki-i-sil- 
mah,  the  Talking  Pine,  spoke  it  a  long  time  ago. 


m 


I  carry  it  to 


Ka-ki-i-sil- 
le  ago. 


OME,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  when  the 
wind  is  strong  in  the  Southwest, 
and  see  the  wind  dance  and  hear  the 
wind  song  of  the  pines."  So  said 
my  friend,  the  Talking  Pine,  when 
we  parted  the  last  time. 

This  Wise  Pine,  which  is  so  old  that  it  can  remem- 
ber the  coming  of  the  first  white  man,  had  promised 
to  tell  me  the  secrets  of  the  woods,  and  tjiis  was  to  be 
the  beginning.  So  when  the  wind  came  from  the 
Southwest  I  got  into  my  canoe  and  journeyed  across 
the  Lake  of  the  Mountains  until  I  came  to  the  place 
where  the  Wise  One  lives. 

The  Talking  Pine  and  all  his  large  family  and  all 
their  relations  were  dancing  the  wind  dance  and 
singing  the  wind  song  when  the  canoe  scraped  on  the 
sand. 

35 


86 


TOTEM    TALES. 


Tlu'  Talkiii}^  IMiio  saw  me  and  nodded  his  head,  but 
did  not  stop  daneinj;',  for  jon  must  Ijnow  that  when 
tlie  pines  bej>in  dancing  tliey  will  sing  and  dance  the 
wind  dance  just  as  long  as  they  can  get  the  wind  to 
help  them  with  the  music. 

They  love  to  swing  and  to  sway  with  the  wind  that 
conies  from  the  sea  to  help  them  sing,  and  you  know 
the  pines  cannot  sing  alone  and  they  always  sleep 
when  1  lie  wind  goes  away. 

I  came  to  the  foot  of  the  Talking  Pine  so  he  could 
talk  as  he  danced,  and  he  told  me  why  the  pines  dance 
the  wind  dance,  and  sing  always  when  the  wind  is  in 
the  Southwest. 

This  the  Talking  Pine  said  ab(  ut  the  wind  dance: 

"Many,  many  years  ago,  before  I  was  born,  or  my 
father,  or  my  father's  father  was  born,  when  the  wind 
was  still  a  little  boy,  there  were  many  strange  and 
hori'ible  creatures  in  the  world,  and  they  were  always 
at  war. 

"Far  away  to  the  Southwest  lived  an  old  Skall-lal- 
a-toot  that  the  wind  loved  to  play  tricks  on. 

"This  Skall-lal-a-toot  had  a  daughter  about  the 
same  age  as  the  wind,  and  the  wind  loved  the  little 
one  for  her  winning  ways  and  pretty  face,  for,  you 
know,  they  are  all  this  way. 


DANCE   OF    THE    WIND. 


87 


"The  old  Skall-lal-a-toot  loved  his  daughter  very 
much,  too,  and  hated  the  wind  because  he  was  always 
traveling  and  playing  tricks,  and  had  a  bad  temper. 

"When  the  wind  got  old  enough  to  marry  he  went 
to  this  girl  and  wanted  her  to  go  away  with  him  to 
his  lodge. 

"She  was  willing,  but  the  old  Skall-lal-a-toot  was 
very  angry  and  hid  his  daughter. 


SKALL-LAL-A-TOOTS. 

"Now,  you  know  the  wind  can  make  himself  very 
small  and  invisible,  so  he  came  in  the  night  and  took 
the  Skall-lal-a-toot's  daughter  in  his  arms  and  started 
away  across  the  big  water  to  take  her  to  his  lodge. 

"Soon  the  old  Skail-lal-a-toot  missed  his  daughter 
and  went  to  find  the  wind  and  get  his  daughter  back, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  punish  the  wind  for  the  trick 
he  had  played  on  him. 

"After  r  long  journey  he  overtook  the  wind,  and 
while  the  wind  slept  he  took  his  daughter  and  then 


38 


TOTEM    TALES. 


struck  the  wiutl  so  hard  ou  the  head  that  he  was  like 
a  dead  man  for  a  long  time. 

"Then  the  old  Skall-lal-a-toot  took  his  daughter  and 
started  for  home  again. 

"When  the  wind  woke  up  he  was  pelton  in  his 
head — crazy,  the  white  men  call  it — and  could  not 
remember  anything,  and  had  lost  the  power  to  change 
himself  back  to  his  visible  shape  again,  so  now  you 
can  only  hear  him  sing,  but  can  never  see  him. 

"After  a  lotig  time  the  wind  remembered 
that  the  Skall-lal-a-toofs  daughter  was  with 
him,  and  he  thought  she  had  been  stolen,  so 
he  went  to  look  for  her. 

"The  wind  was  very  strong  in  his  body, 
because  he  was  wrong  in  his  head,  and  he 
very  fast  and  goi  very  angry  when  he 
thought  of  the  old  Skall-lal-a-toot,  and  at  last  he  over- 
took the  old  man  with  his  daughter  and  fought  him 
a  great  battle  away  out  over  the  big  water. 

"Soon  the  old  Skall-lal-a-toot  was  forced  to  drop  his 
daughter  and  take  care  of  himself,  and  when  the 
father  let  go  «f  her  the  girl  fell  d»wn  into  the  water 
and  was  drowned. 

"Then  the  Tah-mah-na-wis  took  1 


Moccasin. 


traveled 


up 


*ky, 


so  the  wind  could  see  her  always. 


■HHF 


DANCE    OF   THE   WIND. 


89 


was  like 

ghter  and 

on  in  his 
could  not 
to  change 
3  now  you 
hira. 

^membered 
r  was  with 
a  stolen,  so 

Q  his  body, 
»ad,  and  he 
y  when  he 
ast  he  over- 
fought  him 
r. 

I  to  drop  his 
1  when  the 
;o  the  water 

)  in  the  sky, 


"The  white  men  call  her  the  Moon,  but  they  do  not 
know  why  her  face  is  white  like  the  face  of  a  drowned 
person,  or  why  you  can  always  see  the  ghost  of  the 
moon  in  the  water  when  you  look,  on  a  moonlight 
night. 

"That  is  because  she  was  drowned  in  the  big  water, 
and  now  she  must  always  stay  there  until  the  wind 
finds  her,  and  the  wind  is  crazy  and  does  not  know 
her  face,  but  travels  ahvays  and  looks  for  his  wife  and 
sings  to  call  her  from  the  woods. 

"The  wund  thinks  the  pines  know  where  his  wife 
is,  and  he  is  always  sinking  to  them  to  tell  him;  then 
he  gets  crazy  again  and  thinks  she  is  with  him,  and 
he  goes  away  laughing  and  singing. 

"The  wind  loves  to  dance  and  to  sing,  and  the  pines 
always  help  the  poor  fellow,  and  he  tells  them  many 
things  that  he  sees  in  his  travels. 

"lie  is  not  always  crazy,  and  then  he  moans  ana 
cries  for  his  wife,  and  looks  everywhere,  but  soon  he 
gets  crazy  again  and  sings  and  shrieks,  and  rushes 
along  hioking  for  the  old  Skall-lal-a-to)t. 

"The  Tah-mah-na-wis  changed  the  wicked  old  Skall- 
lal-a-toot  irto  the  sun  and  put  him  in  the  sky,  and  now 
he  is  always  running  away  from  his  daughter  and 
she  is  always  following  him." 


Ih 


u 


40 


TOTEM    TALES. 


This  the  Talking  Pine  told  me  as  he  danced  the 
wind  dance  and  sung  the  wind  song. 

"I  would  sleep  now,  T'i  olo,  the  wanderer,"  said  the 
Pine  when  the  wind  Wc-.i*" .  ,  y.  "When  there  is  more 
to  tell  you  I  will  let  you  know  by  a  message  and  you 
will  come  then,  T  solo,  the  wanderer,  and  we  will  see 
more." 


.  t)       ■  i'. 


lill 


§WI\ 


need  the 


said  the 
•e  is  more 

and  you 
e  will  see 


HE  canoe  made  a  long  line  of 
shining  water  across  the  Lake  of 
+iie  Mountains,  and  Esick,  the  pad- 
dle, whispered  to  the  Skall-lal-a- 
toots  that  live  in  the  water,  as  I 
rent  along  toward  the  path  that  Snoqualm,  the  moon, 
jputs  on  the  still  water. 

You  can  never  come  up  to  this  path  because  Sno- 
[aalm  moves  it  away  just  as  fast  as  the  canoe  travels, 
ind  he  stops  it  when  you  stop,  but  he  does  not  bring 
it  nearer. 

When  the  canoe  came  against  the  sand  that  is  in 
front^  *^f  where  the  Wise  One  stands  it  made  no  noise 
md  I  thought  the  great  Pine  was  sleeping,  he  was  so 
still,  but  he  spoke  and  his  voice  was  small  like  the 
roice  of  a  man  talking  a  long  ways  across  the  wate^* 
)r  a  man  talking  in  the  night  when  Polikely  Kula- 
fvula,  the  owl,  is  flying,  and  he  said,  "T'solo,  the  wan- 

41 


i 


42 


TOTEM    TALES. 


derer,  you  are  late  to-niglit,  and  for  that  we  can  only 
have  a  short  talk.  Tliere  is  a  tale  of  Ka-ke-hete,  chief 
of  all  the  demons,  that  fits  the  night  well,  and  we  will 
have  this,  the  tale  of  Ka-ke-hete." 

"That  is  well,  Wise  One,  for  I  would  know  of  Ka- 


THE  NIGHT  BIRD. 

ke-hete,  the  chief  of  demons,  so  when  I  hear  his 
whistle  I  may  know  what  to  do.  Talk,  and  say  the 
tale,  Wisest  of  Pines." 

Then  the  Pine  began,  and  his  voice  was  small  and 
full  of  sleep. 


can  only 
ete,  chief 
i  we  will 

►w  of  Ka- 


I   hear   his 
nd  say  the 

i  small  and 


a 


a 


a 


KA-KE-HETE,    THE   CHIEF   OF   DEMONS. 


45 


"A  long  time  ago  Ka-ke-liete,  Chief  of  the  Too- 
muck,  was  making  a  journey.  For  many  days  he  trav- 
eled in  his  canoe,  and  he  journeyed 
with  the  water  toward  the  council  of 
waters,  and  this  was  on  a  river  that 
is  named  Samumpsh. " 

'•When  he  had  traveled  for  as 
many  days  as  the  fingers  of  one  hand 
and  two  more  the  wind  saw  him. 

"By  this  time  he  was  on  the  great 
water   and   there   was    no   laud 
close,   so  the   wind,   who   is   al- 
ways   at   war   with    Ka-ke-hete, 
sung  a  war  song  and  ran  over  the  water. 

"Ka-ke-hete  saw  the  wind  coming  and  tried 
hard  to  reach  the  shore  of  an  island,  but  Esick, 
the  paddle,  was  slow,  and  the  travel  of  the  canoe 
was  like  the  travel  of  a  tired  child,  and  so  the 
wind  caught  Ka-ke-hete  and  fought  him  there 
in  his  cauoe. 

"Soon  Ka-ke-hete  fell  out  of  the  canoe  and 
had  to  swim,  and  the  wind  thought  he  was  dead 
of  the  water  and  went  away  singing. 


Ka-ke-hete. 


"Ka-ke-hete   did    not   die,    but   swam    to   the 


Esick. 


island  and  hid  there  in  the  woods  for  a  long  time. 


46 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Wlieu  lie  saw  any  cbildreii  playing  in  the  sand 
down  by  the  water,  then  Ka-ke-hete  ran  down  and  car- 
ried them  into  the  woods  and  ate  them  up. 

"Now,  this  made  the  people  very  angry  and  very 
sad,  and  they  came  together  in  a  great  council  and 


c  ««r    'i« .../-«—-  "^    nil  111  A  ^       J'Jujrtm 


KA-KE-HETE   ON   THE    RIVER. 

said,  'This  thing  in  the  woods  must  be  killed,  so  it 
cannot  eat  our  children,'  so  they  went  into  the  woods 
to  hunt  and  kill  Ka-ke-hete,  but  they  found  only  an 
otter,  for  Ka-ke-hete  had  seen  them  coming  and  by 
his  magic  had  changed  his  form  to  that  of  an  otter. 


KA-KB-HBTE,    THE    CHIEF   OF    DEMONS. 


49 


and  so  they  did  uot  kill  biiu,  for  the  people  kuew  tliat 
au  otter  was  not  big  enough  to  eat  children. 

"When  the  people  all  went  back  to  their  lodges  Ka- 
ke-hete  changed  himself  back  to  his  own  form,  and  at 
nigh-t  went  down  to  the  beach  and  stole  a  canoe. 
"With  this  canoe  he  paddled  away  from  the  island 

and   went   on   his   jour- 
ney, and  so  he  got  away. 
"Now  3'ou  may   hear 

his    voice    at    night    in 

the    woods,    and     it    is 

not  the  voice  of  Hoots, 

the     brown     bear,     nor 

the     voice    of     Itswoot, 

the  black  bear,  nor  the 

voice  of  Puss-puss,  the 

cougar,  nor  the  voice  of 
''"""hel''*"''"  Hootza,  the  r/'df,  but  it 
sounds  like  all  of  these  \  uices,  and  it  sounds  like  the 
war  song  of  the  wind,  but  it  is  not  any  of  these. 

"It  is  like  the  voices  of  the  dead  people  who  are  at 

Stickeen,  the  land  of  Shadows,  and  it  makes  you  fold 

on  your  back,  and  your  hair  lay  away  from  your  head. 

"It   is  the   voice   of  Ka-ke-hete,   the   chief  of  the 

demons,  who  calls  his  tribe  and  sings  for  the  little 


Mm% 


Skal-lal-aye  Mask. 


f'i 


{;o 


TOTEM    TALES. 


i 


I' ' 


I  i 


I! 


Sk{ilMal-j«-t(M>tH  who  livt*  ovorywhere  and  who  make 
iiMich  mischief. 

"When  you  hear  this  sound  at  uij^ht,  tlu'U  drop 
your  lodj^e  curtain  and  see  that  the  y;reat  Skall-lal-aye 
mask  hauf^s  on  the  lodj^e  pole  over  your  head,  so  that 
Ka-ke-hete  will  {40  by  and  not  rais*^  the  lodge  curtain. 

"And  this  is  the  tale  of  Ka-k(  e,  the  Tyee  of  all 
demons." 

So  said  the  Talking  Pine. 

"It  was  a  g(»od  tale,  Wise  One,  and  I  will  hang  up 
the  mask  in  my  lodge  an<l  drop  the  door  curtain  as 
I  go  in. 

"I  Avill  come  for  more  tales,  and  now  Klook-wah." 

And  then  I  went  with  the  canoe  across  the  Lake 
of  the  Mountains. 


HE  Talkinj"'  IMnc  nodded  in  friend- 
ly greeting;  as  1  tied  my  canoe  to  tlu? 
end  of  a  log  and  let  it  drift  on  the 
placid  water  and  mirror  itself  in  the 
Lake  of  the  Mountains,  while  I 
elinibed  up  to  sit  at  the  foot  of  the  Wise  One  and 
listen  to  the  tales  he  had  to  tell. 

"To-night  we  will  know  of  the  birth  of  the  Thunder- 
bird,  Skamson,  who  makes  the  rain,  T'solo,"  said  the 
Pine  as  I  lighted  my  pipe  and  waited  at  his  feet, 
watching  the  moon  rise. 

"It  is  good,"  I  answered ;  "I  would  know  of  the  Thun- 
derbird,  Wise  One,  and  how  he  came  to  be.  Tell  the 
tale  and  I  will  listen." 

"Then  it  is  this  way,"  said  the  Talking  Pine,  and 

at  once  he  began  to  tell  the  tale. 

61 


Ili 


li 


i« 


m 

-is 
'Ml 


■r"   f 


I! 


62 


TOTEM    TALES, 


Too-Iux. 


"T<)(4-lux  was  the  South  wind,  who  always  traveled 
North  in  fho  summer  time. 

"Quoots-hoi  was  an  old  witch  who  lived  by  a  great 
river  and  whose  home  was  by  the  rocks. 

"When  Too-lux  came  to  ine  rivt^r  he 
was  tired  and  hungry  from  his  travel,  and 
when  he  saw  (Juoots-hoi  he  said,  'Give  me 
something  to  eat,  for  I  am  olo,  hungry.' 

"  'I  have  nothing  ready,  but  here  is  a 
net;  go  and  catch  a  *little  whale  and  bring 
it  to  me  so  I  can  cook  it,  and  vou  shall 
have  some  tish  for  your  hunger,'  said 
Quoots-hoi, 

"So  Too-lux  took  the  net,  which  was  made  of  the 
small  roots  of  the  hemlock  tree,  and  waded  into  the 
great  water.  There  he  soon  caught  a  little 
whale  and  brought  it  to  the  lodge  of 
Quoots-hoi  and  prepared  to  clean  it  to 
make  it  ready  to  eat. 

"Then  Quoots-hoi  handed  a  knife,  made 
from    a    sharp   sea-shell,   to   Too-lux   and 
said,  *Do  not  cut  the  little  whale  across     Quoots-hoi. 
his  back,  but  split  him  along  his  backbone  and  dress 

him  that  way.' 
♦Grampus. 


Id 
t 


m 


TOO-Ll'X    CAUGHT    A    LITTLE    WHALE. 


n 


BIRTH   OF   SKAMSON. 


65 


"Now,  Too-lux  was  very  hungry  and  wus  in  such  a 
hurry  for  his  dinner  that  he  did  not  pay  much  atten- 
tion to  what  (^uoots-hoi,  the  witch,  had  told  him,  but 
cut  tlie  little  whale  across  the  back. 

"When  he  did  this  the  whale  'mmediately  changed 
and  became  a  great  bird,  which  flew  awry  and  lit  on 


THE  Win  llAIDA   DRAWING. 

a  high  mountain.  There  it  built  a  nest  and  laid  many 
eggs.  Quoots-hoi  and  Too-lux  followed  the  bird  and 
found  the  nest.  They  destroyed  all  the  eggs  but  one, 
and  that  one  hatihed  before  they  could  get  around  to 
break  it,  and  so  the  Thunderbird  was  born. 


}'■    I'll 


ii  ■  ! 


56 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Before  Quoots-hoi  and  Too-lux  could  capture  and 
kill  it  the  bird  flew  away  and  went  to  another  high 
mountain  arid  covered  itself  up  with  clouds,  so  no 
one  can  find  it  now,  and  it  is  the  maker  of  the  rain, 
and  of  Too-tah,  the  thunder. 


THE    LITTLE    WHALE    (ORAMPUS)— HAIDA    INDIAN    DRAWING. 

"Some  other  time  I  will  tell  you  what  the  Thunder- 
bird  can  do,  and  where  he  lives  and  what  he  eats,  but 
not  now,  T'8<lo,  the  wanderer,  for  the  moon  is  high  and 
it  is  time  to  sleep.  Come  again  and  listen,  for  there 
are  more  tales  to  tell." 


« 

H 

H 

O 
O 

I 

r 

a 
1^ 

33 

a 

> 
r 

> 
a 
sa 
o 

tn 

03 


> 
O 


67 


BIRTH  OF  SKAMSON. 


69 


A  nd  so  I  journeyed  to  my  lodge  again  and  left  the 
Wise  One  to  sleep  out  his  sleep,  for  he  is  old,  and  those 
who  are  old  must  sleep  much  and  are  not  like  young 
folks,  whose  eyes  are  bright  and  whose  feet  are  like 
the  feet  of  a  deer.  ^ 


i  I 


I 


a 


I 

I 


^r-i 


ELL  mo,  Wise  One,  of  the  deeds  of 
Yeltb,  tbe  Kfiven,"  I  said  to  the  Talk- 
ing Pine,  as  I  came  and  sat  by  bis 
feet. 

"You  would  know  of  tbe  deeds  of 
tbe  Black  One,  Yeltb,  tbe  Kaven?"  be  asked. 

"Yes,  Wise  One,  tbe  story  of  tbe  Are;  tell  me  of  this, 
and  bow  it  came  about." 

"Listen  tlien,  T'solo,  tbe  wanderer,  for  it  is  well 
to  know  of  the  lire,  and  bow  it  came. 

"Yeltb,  tbe  Kaven,  is  a  good  spirit  and  has  done 
manv  deeds,  so  many  that  I  cannot  tell  vou  of  all  of 
tbeni.  Nobody  knows  of  all  that  Yeltb  has  done,  for 
be  has  lived  a  long,  long  time,  and  is  always  doing 
deeds. 

"But  of  tbe  fire:    T  know  tbe  tale  and  will  tell  of 

it  and  of  tbe  sun,  tbe  moon,  tbe  stars,  and  of  tbe  fresh 

60 


I 


YBLTH  MADE  LOVE  TO  THE  EAGLE'S  DAUOHTBR. 


THE   DEEDS   OF    YELTH. 


63 


Yelth. 


water,  which  Yelth,  the  Kaven,  got  from  the  eagle  and 
gave  to  men. 
"It  is  like  this: 

"When  times  were  young  and  people  did  not  have 
all  the  things  in  the  world  that  they  do  now,  the  great 

Gray  Eagle  was  a  mighty 
chief  and  was  keeper  of 
the  fire,  the  sun,  the 
moou,  the  stars,  and  the 
fresh  water. 

"He  was  the  enemy  of 
men  and  guarded  all  these  things  well  that  men  did 
not  get  them  for  their  own  use. 

"Now,  Yelth  was  a  friend  to  men  and  was 
always  doing  good  deeds  for  them,  and  for  this 
reason  he  Avas  hated  by  the  Eagle,  who  was  his  uncle, 

"The  Eagle  had  a  pretty  daugh- 
ter, and  Yelth  made  love  to  the 
girl,  and  so  got  into  the  lodge  of 
his  uncle,  the  Eagle,  and  looked 
around  to  see  what  the  Eagle  had  that  would  be  arood 
for  the  use  of  men. 

"At  this  time  the  Raven  was  not  a  black  bird,  as 
he  is  now,  but  was  a  fine  young  man,  who  was 
changed  by  the  magic  of  his  enemies  into  the  shape 


Ravens. 


«4 


TOTEM    TALES. 


I 


of  a  bird,  and  he  was  very  wise  himself  in  all  the  ways 
of  magic,  and  so  the  Eagle's  daughter  loved  him. 

"Soon  Yelth  found  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars, 
the  fire,  and  the  fresh  water,  and  he  deserted  his 
sweetheart  and  stole  all  these  things  from  his  unole, 


YELTH  FLEW  OUT  OF  THE  SMOKE  HOLE. 

and,  putting  on  his  magic  bird  skin,  tiew  out  of  the 
smoke  hole  in  the  lodge  with  them. 

"As  soon  as  he  got  outside  he  hung  the  sun  up  in 
the  air,  and  putting  on  his  magic  bird  skin  again, 
soon  reached  an  island  in  the  great  water,  where  he 
rested  until  it  was  night. 


.' 


4'  •* 


rs 


» 

^ 
^ 


n 


H 


65 


l!   t 


THE   DEEDS   OF   YELTH. 


67 


"Now,  wheu  the  darkuess  «'{une  lie  eould  not  see  how 
to  travel,  so  he  scattered  the  stars  about  in  the  sky 
and  hung  up  the  moon,  so  he  eould  have  light,  and 
left  them  there  for  the  use  of  men. 

"When  he  found  he  could  see  to  travel  by  this  light 
he  took  the  fresh  water  and  the  fire  and  started  for 
his  oAvn  lodge.  Soon  he  dro|)ned  the  water  and  it  fell  to 
the  ground,  and  now  there  are  lakes  and  rivers  in  the 
land,  and  men  have  good  water  to  drink. 

"With  the  fire  he  journeyed  on,  and  soon  all  the 
stick  burned  up,  and  the  smoke  made  his  body  black, 
and  his  bill  burned  until  he  had  to  drop  the  fire,  and  it 
fell  in  the  rocks  and  in  the  trees,  and  it  is  still  there, 
for  you  may  get  fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks  together, 
and  you  muy  get  it  by  striking  two  rocks  together,  too. 

"And  so  that  is  the  coming  of  fire.  When  3'ou  come 
again,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  I  will  tell  yon  ino?«o  of  the 
deeds  of  Yeltli,  but  not  now,  so  Klook-vah." 


!  i) 


Ml 


HE   sun    was   j)aiiitin;i,    the   Western 

sky  with  bi'i}»ht  patches  of  ^ohl  and 

rose  when  I  lij^hted  n»y  pipe  and  }»ot 

into  my  canoe  to  journey  across  tlie 

Lake  of  tlie  Mountains  and  hold  a 

talk  with  my  friend,  the  Talkinj;  Pine. 

The  pisht,  pisht,  of  the  eddy  lovin}>-  paddle  made 

sweet  sounds  and  sunji;  soft  lullahys  as  T  journeyed 

across  the  silent  lake  and  looked  down  at  the  jjjn'al 

mountains  that  are  in  the  bottiun,  like  silent   «»ray 

••hosts,  and  in  time  I  came  to  the  beach  of  yellow 

sand  which  is  just  where  the  Wise  One  lives. 

"Kla-how-ya,   T'solo,  the  one  who  wonders,"  said 

the  Pine,  "it  is  a  ^otn]  nijjjht,  a  ni}:;ht  of  many  colors 

in  the  sky,  and  tomorrow  the  rain  will  come,  ami  then 

all  the  pines  will  slnj;  the  rain  song  and  dance  the 

rain  dance,  for  the  wise  one,  Skamson,  the  great  Thun- 

68 


WBE-NAT-CHEE.    THE    RAINBOW. 


69 


derbird,  has  sent  me  word,  and  lie  lias  said  that  Wee- 
natchee,  the  Rainbow,  will  come  with  the  rain  to- 
morrow. 

"Know  you,  T'solo,  wanderer,  know  you  the  tale  of 
Wee-natehee?" 


LOOKED  DOWN  AT  THE  GREAT  MOUNTAINS. 

"No,  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  "I  do  not  know  the 
tale  of  Wee-natchee,  the  Kainbow.  Know  you  the 
tale,  Ka-ki-i-sil-mah,  Wisest  of  Pines?" 


t;;  If 


1 1 

i  >  !n  ■ 


';U 


it 
it 


<>i\\ 


70 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Yea,  I  know  the  tale.      Light    your   pipe    again, 
T'solo,  for  it  is  burned  out  and  the  smell  of  blue 

Chinoos  smoke  is  a  good  smell 
when  tales  are  to  be  told. 
Make  your  pipe  full  of  Chinoos, 
T'solo,  and  when  the  white 
man's  fire  stick  makes  the  bowl 
%  red  with  fire  and  the  smoke 
comes  well,  I  will  tell  you  the 
tale,  T'solo." 

"It    is    well,    and    I    listen, 
Wise  One." 

"Then  it  is  this  way,"  answered  the  Talking  Pine, 
"v^iah-ah-ah  Ahn-n-n-cutty,  so 
long  ago  that  I  have  no  memory, 
T'solo,  the  wanderer,  there  was  a 
great  chief  who  was  the  head  of 
many  tribes  and  a  wise  man. 


Chee-chee-watah. 


"This  man's  name  was  Chee-  ^J 
wat-um,  the  one  who  stjiys  at  '^^ 
home. 

"He  was  wise  in   the  ways   of 
men  and  wise  in  the  ways  of  the 
Tah-nmh-na-wis,  and  of  magic,  and  so  many  people 
came  to  see  him  for  his  wisdom.    Now,  Chee-wat-um, 


Chee-watum. 


' 


mm 


>i!: 


GAVE    CHETIIL  A    MAGIC   DEAR   SKIN. 


71 


WEE-NAT-CHEE,    THE    RAINBOW. 


73 


the  wise  one,  had  a  daughter  who  was  fair  and  fresh 
as  the  first  white  water  flower  of  the  lake  that  blos- 
soms in  the  frog  moon,  and  was  wise  in  the  ways  of 
men,  for  she  was  born  with  teeth,  and  as  you  know, 
T'solo,  she  had  lived  before,  else  she  would  have  been 

born   the    same    as   other    children — 

without  teeth. 

"This  girl  was  loved  more  than  all 

else  by  her  father  and  was  named  by 

him    the    Humming   Bird,   Ohee-chee- 

watah. 

"Now,  among  ()thers  who  came  to 
White  Water  Flower,  eouucil  with  fhe-wat-uui  was  a  youug 
warrior,  who  was  Chethl,  the  Lightning,  because  of 
his  quick  ways. 

"Wlion  f'liethl  saw  fMiee-chee-watah  ho  said  in  his 
own  thoughts,  'This  girl  shall  be  my  wife,  for  she  Ims 
a  fair  face  and  much  wisd<nn,'  and  so  he  set  about  to 
make  love  to  her. 

"('liH'-chee-watah,  the  ITuraming  Bir<l,  soon  loved 
riiethl,  the  Lightning,  and  they  planned  to  marry  and 
live  in  a  lodge  of  their  own,  and  all  was  settled  but 
the  word  of  Che-wat-um,  her  father.  When  he  found 
that  his  daughter  loved  the  Lightning  he  was  very 
angry  and  put  Chee-chee-watah  in  the  woman's  lodge 


:i] 


k 


74 


TOTEM    TALES. 


for  many  ilJiys,  aud  sent  (..Uiethl  away  aud  told  him 
never  to  see  Chee-chee-watah  again. 

"Now,  tliis  made  tlie  young  folks  very  sad,  for  they 
loved  each  other  very  dearly,  and  for  many  days 
Chethl  planned  to  see  the  Humming  Bird,  but  failed. 


LEFT  HER  BODY  LYING  ON  THE   FLOOR. 

"Then  he  thought  of  the  ways  of  magic,  and  so  went 
alone  in  the  forest  and  called  his  great  Tah-mah-na- 
wis  to  him  and  said,  %  Chethl,  the  Lightning,  am  much 
in  love  with  Chee-chee-watah,  the  daughter  of  Che- 
wat-um,  the  wise  one  who  stays  at  home.    Chee-chee- 


WBB-NAT-CHEE.    THE    RAINBOW. 


75 


111 


watab  is  kept  iii  the  woman's  lodge  aiid  1  cannot  see 
her.  Give  nie  a  charm  that  will  make  all  eyes  but  the 
eyes  of  the  Humming  Bird  blind  when  I  walk  by  them, 
so  I  may  go  to  her.' 

"And  so  the  Tah-mah-na-wis  gave  to  Chethl  a  magic 

T 


MADE  MAGIC   MEDICINE. 

bear  skin  and  said,  'Put  on  this  bear  robe  and  go  to 
your  sweetheart,  for  no  eye  may  see  you  when  you  are 
covered  with  it.  But  be  careful  that  you  look  toward 
the  rising  sun  and  toward  the  setting  sun  when  j'ou 
put  it  on,  or  else  it  will  lose  its  magic  and  be  as  other 
bear  robes,  and  of  no  use.' 


H'i, 


'  \  I 


76 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"Then  Cliethl  put  on  the  robe  and  went  to  the 
woman's  hxlge,  and  no  one  saw  him,  and  he  said  to 
Chee-chee-watah,  the  Humminjj;  Bird,  'Come  under  the 
robe  and  you  shall  go  out  of  the  sight  of  men,  and  we 
will  go  far  away  and  live  in  a  lodge  of  our  own.' 

"So  Chee-chee-watah  got  under  the  robe  and  they 
went  far  away  into  the  forest  and 
built  a  lodge  and  lived  there  together 
until  one  day  Chetl  put  on  the  magic 
robe,  but  forgot  to  look  toward  the 
rising  sun  and  toward  the  setting 
sun,  and  then  a  strange  thing  hap- 
pened. When  the  bear  robe  fell  over 
the  shoulder  of  Chetl  there  was  a 
great  noise  and  a  strong  wind,  and 
Ka-ke-hete,  the  chief  of  the  demons, 
came  and  took  Chetl  away  and  left 
Chee-chee-watah  alone  in  the  forest. 

"When  she  waited  for  many  days 
and  Chetl  did  not  come  back  Chee-  "^''iSrcaVv'lni!""* 
chee-watah  was  very  sad  and  mourned  all  the  time 
for  her  lost  husband. 

"Soon  there  came  a  time  when  Cole-sick,  the  keeper 
of  the  dead,  came  and  found  Chee-chee-watah  sitting 
there  mourning,  and  he  took  her  away  with  him  and 


WBE-NAT-CHBB,   THE   RAINBOW. 


n 


left  only  her  body  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  lodge,  and 
there  she  was  found  by  her  father,  Che-wat-um,  who 
had  been  looking  for  her  for  many  moons. 

"When  he  found  she  was  dead  he  was  very  sad, 
and  made  magic  medicine  and  so  called  her  back  from 
the  country  of  the  shadows  and  made  her  to  be  the 
rainbow,  Wee-natchee,  and  put  her  in  the  sky,  so  he 
could  see  her  always,  because  she  was  dead  and  could 
no  longer  be  his  daughter,  Chee-chee-watah. 

"And  so  this  is  how  Wee-natchee,  the  Rainbow, 
came  in  the  sky. 

"Now,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  go  in  your  canoe  to 
your  lodge  across  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and 
fasten  the  door  curtain,  for  Ka-ke-hete,  the  chief  of  the 
demons,  is  blowing  his  whistle  and  coming  fast  over 
the  woods  and  chasing  the  wind,  so  it  is  well  for  you 
to  be  by  the  lodge  fire  when  they  pass  by,  that  you 
may  not  see  his  wicked  face." 

And  so  I  crossed  over  the  Lake  and  sat  in  my  lodge 
while  Kake-hete  walked  across  the  Lake  of  the  Moun- 
tains and  made  the  water  white  while  it  sung  a  war 
song  with  the  wind. 


tM^. 


jpYp 


GHTER 


NOW  you  of  Cawk,  the  daiij;bter 
of  T'sing-,  the  Beaver,  T'solo?" 
asked  the  Talking  Pine  when  next 
I  sat  at  his  feet  and  watched  the 
little  waves  that  always  wash  the 
sand  and  sing  there  in  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains. 

"No,  Wise  One,  I  do  not  know  of  Cawk,  the  daugh- 
ter of  T'sing,  and  I  would  hear  the  tale." 

"Listen  then,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  for  it  is  a  tale 
that  is  good  to  know,  for  it  shows  how  one  can  be  too 
proud,  and  in  this  lose  the  good  and  get  only  the  bad 
of  living,  and  that  is  not  a  good  thing  to  do. 
"This  is  the  tale,  wanderer: 

"Mp.ny,  many  summers  ago  there  lived  a  chief  who 
was  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  all  alone  on  a  great  island  in 
the  big  water. 

"Now,  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  had  a  daughter  who  was 

78 


;  I 


li  I 


CAWK.    THE    BEAVER'S    DAUGHTER. 


81 


Cawk,  the  one  with  the  pretty  face,  ller  mother  had 
long  been  dead,  and  she  lived  there  alone  with  her 
father,  and  so  grew  up  to  be  a  pretty  girl,  Cawk. 

"All  the  young  men  of  the  country  around  came  to 
make  love  to  Cawk,  the  pretty  one,  but  to  all  she  was 


-^^      - 


T'SING,   THE   BEAVER. 


the  same,  and  was  too  proud  to  be  any  but  the  wife 
of  a  great  chief,  and  so  she  waited. 

"One  time,  when  the  ice  melted  and  the  water 
was  unlocked,  a  great  white  bird  wlio  was  T'ko])o 
Kula-Kula,  the  sea  gull,  came  to  the  island  where  the 
Beaver,  T'sing,  lived,  and  saw  Cawk,  the  pretty  one. 


•  ■■  M 


I 


82 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"  'Now  the  sea  gull  fell  in  love  with  Cawk  and  made 
love  to  her  with  his  song  this  way: 

"  'Come  with  me!  Come  into  the  land  of  the  birds 
where  there  is  never  hunger. 

"'Where  my  lodge  is  made  of  the  most  beautiful 
woods,  and  where  I,  T'kope  Kula-kula,  am  chief. 


A  LODGK  OP  Fisa-SKINS. 

"  'Your  fire  shall  always  burn  with  wood. 

"  'You  shall  rest  on  soft  bear  robes. 

"  'My  people,  the  gulls,  shall  bring  your  food. 

"  'Their  feathers  shall  make  your  robes. 

"'Your  basket  shall  alwnvs  be  tiUed  with  meat.' 


CAWK,    THE    BEAVERS    DAUGHTER. 


83 


"So  Cawk  listeued  lo  the  .s(»u<»-  auil  soou  she  loved 
T'kope  Kula-kula,  the  sea  gull,  and  went  away  with 
him  across  the  big  water,  and  lived  in  his  lodge. 

"Only  too  soon  poor  Cawk,  the  pretty  one,  found 
thai  she  had  made  a  mistake  when  she  sent  all  the 
young  men  away  and  went  with  T'kope  Kula-kula, 


KILLED  HIM  AND  CUT  OFF  HIS  HEAD. 

the  chief  of  the  sea  gulls,  for  his  lodge  was  not  buill 
of  beautiful  woods,  but  only  of  the  skins  of  fishes,  and 
was  fall  of  holes  where  Colcsnass,  the  winter,  came 
in  and  froze  her  fingers. 
"Instead  of  soft  bear  robes,  her  bed  was  only  the 


f? 


is! 


84 


TOTEM    TALES. 


skius  of  Tipsu  Ko-slioo.  the  hair  seal,  the  water  pig, 
and  she  could  not  rest. 

"And  there  was  no  wood  for  the  lodge  fire,  and  no 
meat  in  the  basket,  and  the  only  food  she  had  was  the 
nastj'  fish  that  the  tribe  of  the  gulls  threw  to  her,  and 
that  was  not  much  of  anything,  for  the  gulls  are  always 
hungry  and  eat  all  they  can  get  themselves. 

"So  Cawk,  the  daughter  of  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  grew 
sad  in  her  mind  and  longed  for  her  old  home  with  her 
father,  and  in  her  sadness  she  sung  her  song  this  way : 

"  'T'sing,  oh,  my  father,  listen: 

"  *If  you  knew  how  sad  I  am  you  would  come  to  rao. 
"  'We  would  cross  the  big  waters 
in  your  canim. 

"  'The  tribe  of  Tkope  Kuia-kula 
do  not  look  on  me  with  goo<l 
hearts,  for  I  am  a  stranger.  tipbu  KoHhoo.  the  seal. 

" 'Colesnass  blows  his  brciith  on  me  and  Ka-ke-hete 
whistles  by  my  bod. 

"  'I  have  no  fooo. 

"  *I  am  sick  and  am  very  sad. 

"'Come,  /ather,  with  your  ctinim  and  take  me  home.' 

"Now,  when  the  sunimer  c  ime  again  'fsing  got  in 
his  canoe  and  crosst-d  the  big  wiitor.s  to  go  on  a  visit 
to  his  daughter. 


I 


gy 


HE   CUT    HEn    FINGERS   OFF, 


8S 


CAWK  THE  BEAVER'S  DAUGHTER. 


87 


"She  was  very  glad  to  see  him  and  begged  him  to 
take  her  home  again,  and  told  him  how  she  had  been 
treated  by  her  husband,  T'kope  Kula-kula. 

"When  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  heard  of  this  he  was  very 
angry  and  waited  until  T'kope  Kula-kula  came  back 
to  the  lodge  and  then  T'sing  killed  him  and  cut  off 
his  head. 

"Then  he  took  Cawk,  who  was  no  longer  the  pretty 
one,  because  her  eyes  were  red  with  tears,  with  him  in 
his  canoe,  and  went  swiftly  across  the  big  water  on 
his  way  home  again. 

"Soon  the  tribe  of  T'kope  Kula-kula  came  home  and 
found  their  chief  dead,  and  his  wife  gone,  and  they 
all  began  to  cry  and  they  still  cry  to  this  day  for  their 
chief. 

"All  the  tribe  of  gulls  went  in  search  of  the  killer 
of  their  chief,  and  soon  they  saw  the  canoe  of  T'sing, 
the  Beaver,  journeying  across  the  big  water. 

"Then  they  stirred  up  a  heavy  storm,  and  made  the 
water  rise  up  in  great  waves  that  tried  to  sink  the 
canoe  of  T'sing,  the  Beaver. 

"When  the  storm  came  T'sing  did  a  very  wrong 
thing,  for  he  took  Cawk,  his  daughter,  and  threw  her 
out  in  the  big  water  for  the  birds  to  take  revenge  on. 

"But  Cawk  caught  the  edge  of  the  canoe,  and  held 


n 


-■'\ 


88 


TOTEM    TALES. 


on,  until  her  father,  to  save  himself,  crueUy  cut  her 
fingers  off  at  the  first  joint.  Now,  the  ends  of  her 
fingers  fell  into  the  water,  and  the  first  one  was 
changed  into  the  whale,  and  the  finger  nail  became 
the  whalebone  and  so  the  whale  came  into  the  world. 


.^r 


CALLED  TO  HER  TOTEM,   HOOTZA. 

"The  second  finger  became  a  Grampus,  or  little 
whale,  and  the  others  swam  away  in  the  shape  of  Sal- 
mon, Herring,  Codfish,  Seals,  and  Ilairseals,  and  so 
these  things  all  came  into  the  big  water  and  are  still 
there. 


mmm^m^m^m^ 


CAWK,  THE  BEAVER'S  DAUGHTER. 


89 


"When  Cawk  fell  iuto  the  big  water  ilie  gulls 
thought  she  was  dead  of  the  water  and  went  away,  and 
so  the  waves  calmed  down,  and  her  father  took  poor 
Cawk  back  into  the  canoe,  and  took  her  home,  but  she 
had  no  fingers  and  was  in  much  pain. 

"Now  when  she  sat  by  her  father's  fire,  and  looked 
at  her  hands,  all  the  love  went  out  of  her  mind  and 
Ka-ka-hete,  the  chief  of  the  demons,  came  into  it,  be- 
cause her  father  had  been  so 
cruel  to  her. 

"So  she  counseled  with  Ka-ka- 
hete  and  he  told  her  to  make 
medicine  to  hurt  her  father.  ''WMJSB^* 

"Then  Cawk  called  to  her  To-  ^ 

tem  spirit,  who  was  Hoot-za,  the  nootza,  the  wou. 
wolf,  and  to  him  she  said:  *My  father,  T'sing,  the 
Beaver,  has  cut  off  my  fingers.  Bring  all  the  tribe  of 
Hoot-za  and  let  them  gnaw  off  the  hands  and  feet  of 
my  father  while  lie  sleeps,  so  that  Ka-ka-hete  will  go 
out  of  my  mind,  and  I  may  sleep.' 

"And  so  the  tribe  of  llootza  came  and  gnawed  off  the 
hands  and  feet  of  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  while  he  slept, 
and  when  he  awoke  he  was  very  angry  and  talked 
with  a  bad  tongue  to  his  Tah-mah-na-wis,  because  he 
let  Hootza  eat  his  hands  and  feet. 


<  » 


90 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"When  he  did  this,  the  Suh-hale  Tah-muh-na-wis 
was  very  angry,  and  made  the  ground  open  up  in  a 
great  hole,  and  down  went  T'sing,  the  Beaver,  Cawk, 
the  pretty  one,  and  all  the  tribe  of  Ilootza,  the  wolf, 
except  one,  and  from  him  came  all  the  wolves  in-  the 
world,  and  they  are  all  bad,  because  of  the  bad  deeds 
of  Hootza." 

This  was  the  tale  of  Cawk,  the  daughter  of  T'sing, 
the  Beaver,  that  the  Wise  One,  Ka-kii-sil-mah,  the 
Talking  Pine,  told  me  by  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains. 


O  you  know  of  Mowitch,  tlio  deer,  ami 
how  he  came,  T'solo,  tlie  wauderer?" 
asked  the  Talking  Pine  as  the  moon, 
Snoqualm,  made  a  silver  path 
across  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains, 
from  the  black  pines  on  the  other  side,  clear  up  to  the 
beach  of  yellow  sand,  where  my  canoe  made  a  black 
spot  on  the  water  close  by  my  foot. 

"I  listen  for  the  tale.  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  and 
then  watched  Snoqualm,  the  moon,  climb  up  the  sky 
while  the  Talking  Pine  t»ld  me  this  tale: 

"Mowitch  was  once  a  man,  but  is  now  a  deer,  be- 
cause of  the  magic  of  Quaw-te-aht,  who    did    many 
other  deeds,  too,  and  it  was  this  way,"  said  the  Pine. 
"A  long  time  ago  Quaw-te-aht,  the  changer,  came 
across  the  land  and  traveled  along  through  the  woods. 
"In  his  travels  he  came  to  a  place  where  the  rain 

91 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


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I. 


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1.8 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


1.25      1.4 

1.6 

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V 


^."^i 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


•^^ 
<> 

b.   «> 


O^ 


I 


f* 


.^. 


TOTEM   TALES. 


was  falling  and  stood  by  one  of  the  tribe  of  the  pines 

to  wait  until  the  rain  went  away. 
"While  he  stood  there  he  saw  a  man  who  was  stand- 
ing still  and  throwing  his 
hands  about  in  the  air  over 
his  head  very  fast,  and  try- 
ing to  keep  the  rain  from 
failing  on  him  in  this  way. 
"When  Quaw-te-aht  saw 
this  he  thought  this  man 
was  very  foolish,  and  he  said 
to  him,  'Why  do  you  do 
this?' 

"  'That  is  the  way  to  keep 
the  rain  from  falling  on 
you,'  said  the  man. 

"  'You  are  foolish,  and  for 
your  foolish  ways,  I  will 
change  your  form,'  said 
Quaw-te-aht,  the  changer. 
'Go  and  be  always  in    the 

form  of  Chee-chee-watah,    the    Humming    Bird,    and 

throw  your  arms  fast  for  the  rest  of  your  life.' 
"And  so  by  the  magic  of  Quaw-te-aht  the  man  was 

changed  into  the  form  of  the  little  bird  that  makes  a 


Quaw-te-aht. 


A  LITTLE  BOY  CRYING. 


QUAW-TE-AHT,    THH    CHANGER. 


95 


noise  with  bis  wiugs,  Chee-cliee-watiih,  and  now  you 
will  always  see  him  when  the  rain  has  just  gone,  or 
when  the  tears  of  Hnoqualuj,  the  moon,  fall  at  the  com- 
ing of  Polikely,  the  night,  all  because  of  his  foolish 
Avaj^s  when  he  was  a  man. 

"Now,  since  this  was  done,  no  Indian  is  afraid  of  the 

rain,  and  does  not  care  if 
it  falls  on  him,  because  he 
remembers  the  Humming 
Bird,  Chee-chee-watah. 

"After    the    rain    went 

away,     Quaw-te-aht    went 

on  through  the  woodj  and 

came  to  a  little  boy    who 

was  sent  by  his  mother  to 

pick  a  basket  of  Shot-o-lil- 

ies,  the  Huckleberry,    and 

this  little  boy  was  crying, 

*Hoo!  Hoo!  Hoo!'  because  he  was  not  a  brave  boy  and 

was  thinking  of  the  Brown  Bear,  Hoots,  who  lived  in 

the  woods. 

"So  Quaw-te-aht  said,  *Why  do  you  cry?' 

"'Because  I  am  afraid  of  Hoots,  the  Brown  Bear, 

and  think  he  will  come  and  eat  me,'  answered  the  boy. 

"  'Now  because  you  are  not  a  brave  boy,  and  because 


Chee-chee-watah. 


I 


96 


TOTEM    TALES. 


you  cry  always,  I  will  change  you  from  a  boy  to  the 
form  of  a  bird,'  said  Quaw-te-abt,  the  changer,  and  so 
by  his  magic  the  boy  was  changed  into  a  dove,  and  is 
now  in  the  woods  and  always  crying,  *Hoo!  Hoo!  Hoo!' 
just  as  he  did  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  very  much 
afraid  of  Hoots,  the  bear. 

"So,  if  boys  do  not  want  to  be  change<l  into  other 
things,  it  is  best  for  them  to  be  brave  and  not  cry 
about  Hoots,  the  bear,  and  then  they  will  soon  grow 
to  be  men,  and  be  wise. 

"QuaW'te-aht  journeyed  along  and  soon  came  to  an- 
other man  who  was  making  sharp  the  edge  of  a  stone 
knife,  and  to  this  man  he  said,  'Why  do  you  make  the 
knife  sharp?' 

"  'To  cut  meat,'  answered  the  nmn. 

"  'That  is  double  talk,  you  make  sharp  the  edge  of 
Opitsah,  the  knife,  that  you  may  kiU  me,  for  I  know 
your  mind  and  can  see  your  thoughts.  Give  me  the 
knife,'  said  Quaw-te-aht,  and  started  towards  the  nmn. 

"Now  the  man  knew  that  Quaw-te-aht  saw  his 
thoughts  and  so  he  was  very  much  frightened  and 
started  to  run  away. 

"In  his  great  haste  he  dropped  his  knife,  and  then 
Quaw-te-aht  picked  it  up  iand  threw  it  at  the  man,  and 
it  struck  him  in  the  heel. 


QUAW-TE-AHT,    THE    CHANGER. 


97 


"When  the  knife  stuck  in  his  heel  the  man  began  to 
jump  about  and  ran  into  the  woods. 

"Quaw-te-ahf,  to  punish  him  for  his  evil  thoughts, 
said,  'Go  and  be  Mowitch,  the  deer,  and  jump  about 
in  the  woods  always,'  and  so  by  the  great  magic  of 
Quaw-te-aht,  the  changer,  this  wicked  nmu  became 


THREW   HIS   KNIFE    AT   THE    MAN. 

the  first  deer,  and  still  jumps  about  in  the  woods  Avith 
the  knife  in  his  heel,  for  you  may  see  the  handle  of 
it  sticking  out  just  above  the  foot  of  the  deer,  where 
he  has  another  toe,  and  his  feet  are  split  in  two  be- 
cause the  knife  split  the  foot  of  the  evil  man. 


1 


I 


98 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"And  so  this  is  tlie  tale  of  Mowitcb,  the  deer,  aud 
how  he  came." 

When  the  tale  was  done,  Snoqualni,  the  moon,  had 
climbed  above  the  tops  of  the  black  pines  across  the 
Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and  was  painting  all  the  water 
with  light. 

Then  I  got  in  the  canoe  and  paddled  away  and  the 
voice  of  the  Lake  sung  under  the  canoe  as  it  went 
along,  and  far  away  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  I  heard 
the  hunting  cry  of  l*uss-puss,  the  great  yellow  cougar, 
who  looked  Avith  his  great  green  eyes  for  Mowitch,  the 
deer,  for  his  meat,  and  from  a  dead  pine,  Polikely  Kula- 
kula,  the  big  owl,  sung  for  his  wife  to  come,  and  so  I 
journeyed  home  to  my  lodge  hearing  these  sounds. 


^^"l/lriAfV^*'^ 


> 


WANDEKEK,  jon  have  seen  the 
mark  of  the  waters  on  the  inonntain 
tops  many  times  in  your  journeys, 
but  do  you  know  how  the  waters  got 
there?"  asked  the  Talking  IMne,  when 
I  had  !;Mt  down  by  his  feet,  and  tlie  smell  of  the  ('hlnoos 
was  in  the  air. 

I  thought  heavy  thoughts  on  this,  but  I  could  not 
think  how  the  waters  had  left  their  marks  on  the  top 
of  the  hills,  vet  I  knew  thev  had,  for  I  had  seen  the 
sign  in  many  lands,  so  I  said,  "No,  Wise  One,  I  do  not 
know  how  the  sign  of  the  great  waters  came  to  be  on 
the  tops  of  the  mountains,  but  it  is  good  wisdom  an<l 
well  to  know.  Know  you,  wisest  of  Pines,  how  the 
waters  came  on  the  hills?" 

"Yes,  I  knf»w,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  I  know  how  this 
sign  came  there.    Shall  I  tell  the  tale?" 

89 


h 


100 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"It  is  good  to  know  of  this,  and  I  listen,  Wise  One. 
Speak  tlie  tale." 

"Then  it  was  because  of  this: 

"A  long  time  ago,  before  Yelth,  the  raven,  was  born, 
or  before  the  coming  of  Hoots,  the  great  brown  bear, 
there  were  different  men  in  the  land  from  the  men 
we  know  now,  and  they  were  not  good  men. 

"Always  they  talked  with  a  double  tongue  and 
knew  much  magic,  but  it  was  the  magic  of  Too-muck, 
the  evil  spirits,  and  the  magic  of  the  little  folks  of  the 
woods,  the  Skall-lal-a-toots,  who  are  the  makers  of 
mischief  and  little  bad  deeds. 

"All  the  men  of  the  land  were  this  way  except  one 
who  was  G'klobet,  the  silent  one,  and  he  was  hul-loi- 
mie,  different,  and  a  wise  man  in  the  magic  of  the  Tah- 
mah-na-wis. 

"Now  the  men  always  counciled  with  the  Tyee  Too- 
muck,  the  chief  of  the  demons,  who  is  Ka-ke-hete,  and 
who  does  many  evil  things,  and  they  forgot  the  Tyee 
of  all,  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis,  who  is  the  spirit 
of  good  deeds,  and  who  is  wise  and  good  to  men. 

"When  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis  saw  these 
things,  he  was  very  angry  and  said,  'I  will  call  Skam- 
son,  the  great  thunderbird,  and  we  will  have  rain  and 


Jf 


il 


t  IE 


MADE   MAGIC  TO  CALL  THE   SAH-HA-LB  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS.    101 


^ 


i 


!i 


201905 


THE    GREAT    WATERS. 


103 


the  water  will  cover  the  land  and  kill  these  men  who 
are  evil  in  their  minds.' 

"So  then  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis  called  Skam- 
son,  the  thnnderbird,  and  they  leld  ;i  conncil  about 
this  deed,  and  when  the  council  wa-  done  Skam-son 
shook  his  winj>s  and  the  rain  came  for  many,  many 
days,  and  the  rivers  were  full  of  water  and 
tluMi  overHowed. 

"(I'klobet,  the  silent  one,  saw  these 
thiufis  and  he  made  maj^ic  medicine  to  call 
the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis,  and  then  he 
said,  'Why  do  the  rivers  rise  while  the  rain 
still  falls?  Soon  there  will  be  water  (m  all 
the  laud.    What  shall  I  do  for  meat?' 

"TIk'u  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis  said 
this  talk,  'Listen,  (I'klobet,  the  silent  one. 
V  These  men  are  evil  men  and  they  forget  the 
'  Sah-ha-le  Tah-umh-na-wis,  the  great  Tyee, 
and  see  only  Ka-ke-hete,  who  is  the  chief  of 
evil  deeds.  Because  of  this,  the  thunderbird, 
Skam-son,  shakes  his  wings  and  the  rain  falls.  Xow 
you  who  are  (I'klobet,  the  silent  one,  are  not  like  these 
men,  for  you  rail  Sah-ha-le  Tal- iiah-na-wis,  the  chief 
of  all,  and  for  this  you  shall  be  t(dd  what  to  do.  (Jo 
and  get  your  largest  canoe,  and  put  all  of  your  spear« 


(D 


I; 
I' 


i 


104 


TOTEM    TALES. 


II 


and  nets  in  it.  Put  your  mats  and  your  bear  robes, 
and  all  your  fine  furs  in,  and  plenty  of  meat  and  Kam- 
as.  Put  your  wife  and  all  your  children  in,  and  leave 
room  for  a  rope  of  cedar  bark  that  shall  reach  half  as 
far  as  a  boy  can  walk  in  one  sun.  Then  get  in  your 
canoe  and  wait.' 

'The  great  water  will  rise  and  como  up  over  the 


U  iHM 


MAKING   CEDAR    BARK   ROPES. 

land,  and  then  it  will  come  up  to  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tains. Wlien  it  comes  up  to  the  top  of  the  highest 
mountain,  then  tie  your  rope  to  the  highest  rock  and 
wait  again.    The  waters  will  come  up  over  the  top  of 


THE   GREAT   WATERS. 


105 


the  highest  mountain  and  up  until  you  have  no  more 
rope,  and  then  it  will  stop  and  go  back  again  until 
there  is  no  water  but  the  rivers  and  the  great  water 
as  it  is  now.    I  have  spoken.' 

"And    then   the    Sah-ha-le     Tah-mah-na-wis     went 
away. 


O'KLOBET  LOADED  HIS  BIGGEST  CANOE. 

"So  then  CJ'klobet,  the  silent  one,  did  all  these 
thi'gH  that  the  Tah-niah-na-wis  had  told  him  and 
waited,  and  still  Skam-son,  the  thunderbird,  shook  his 
Avings  for  the  rain  to  fall  until  it  came  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain  and  then  G'klobet  tied  his  rope. 


If 


106 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"When  the  other  people  saw  what  O'klobet,  the  si- 
lent one,  was  doing,  they  loaded  their  canoes  and 
made  cedar  bark  ropes,  too,  and  when  the  water  came 
to  the  top  of  the  mountain  they  tied  their  ropes  to  the 
rock,  too,  and  as  the  water  »qme  up  they  all  let  rope 


THE  OTHER  CANOES  DRIFTED  AWAY. 


out  until  they  had  no  more  left,  and  then  the  canoes 
broke  loose  and  floated  away,  all  but  G'klobet,  who 
had  much  rope,  and  whose  canoe  did  not  break  loose, 
but  staid  there  and  came  down  by  the  top  of  the  moun- 


THE   GREAT   WATERS. 


107 


tain,  ami  so  (r'klobet  ^ot  back  to  his  home  again  when 
the  Avaters  went  away. 

"But  the  canoes  that  broke  loose  drifted  away,  and 
came  down  in  other  places,  and  so  all  the  tribes  of 
men  came  from  these,  and  because  they  were  scat- 
tered, and  because  they  saw  that  Ka-ke-hete,  the  chief 
of  the  demons,  could  not  stop  the  water  from  rising, 
they  became  better  men  and  talked  with  Sah-h>i-le 
Tah-mali-na-wis,  and  became  wise. 

"And  so  that  was  how  the  water  left  the  sign  on 
the  mountain  tops,  and  how  the  men  came  to  be  all 
over  the  land." 

S()  said  the  Talking  Pine,  the  Wise  One,  as  I  sat  by 
his  feet  and  watched  the  smoke  of  the  Chinoos  blow 
away  with  the  wind,  there  by  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains. 


O-NIGIIT    we    will    have    the    tale   of 
the  Crow  Childreu,  T'solo,  the  wau- 
derer,"  said  the  Talking  Pine,  when  I 
had  pulled  the    anoe  up  ou  the  sand 
and  sat  <h»wn  bv  his  feet. 
"Then  I  listen,  \Vise  One,"  I  answered. 
"This  is  a  story  for  children  who  do  not  mind  their 
parents,"  said  tlie  Wise  One,  "and  it  is  a  warning  to 
them  to  be  good  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  their  elders, 
for  who  knows  but  they  may  all  be  changed  to  croAvs 
at  some  time,  if  they  do  not? 
"The  tale  is  like  this: 

"Once  there  was  a  woman  who  was  the  wife  of  a 
chief,  and  who  had  two  children;  she  loved  the  chil- 
dren very  much  and  always  took  them  with  her  when 
she  went  away  from  the  lodge. 

108 


!*• 


Pi 


! 


il  ^ 


THEY  ANSV  BRED  WITH  THE  VOICES  OF  CROWS. 


109 


THE   CROW   CHILDREN. 


Ill 


"One  time  in  the  moon  of  the  falliu*;  leaves  she  took 
them  in  the  canim  and  went  across  the  water  to  get 
some  spruce  boughs  which  the  Indians  use  to  collect 
salmon  eggs  on,  as  you  know,  T'solo. 

"She  pulled  the  canoe  up  on  the  sand  and  told  the 


S^^^^^, 


LEFT  THEM    BY   THE    CANOE. 

children  to  stay  close  by  it  while  she  went  into  the 
woods  and  cut  the  spruce  boughs,  and  then  she  went 
away  and  left  them  there. 

"When  she  came  back  both  the  children  were  gone, 
and  had  only  left  tracks  in  the  sand  uj)  to  the  edge  of 


'  ■  I 


112 


TOTEM    TALES. 


the  woods.  The  mother  followed  into  the  woods,  and 
called  them  many,  many  times,  and  always  they  an- 
swered her  with  the  voices  of  crows. 

"Now  the  mother  was  very  sa<l  when  she  found  they 
were  lost  and  she  called  her  Tah-mah-ua-wis  to  help 


AND  SO  IT  WAS  HE  CARVED  THE  TOTEM  POLE. 


her  find  them,  but  the  Tah-mah-na-wis  told  her  they 
had  walked  into  the  woods,  and  that  the  Skall-lal-a- 
toots  had  changed  them  into  crows;  that  they  must 
always  stay  in  the  woods,  and  could  not  be  changed 


THE   CROW    CHILDREN. 


118 


back  into  their  proper  form  agaiu  because  of  tlie  uiaj^ic 
of  the  Skall-lal-a- toots,  and  so  they  were  lost  for  all 
time. 

"So  then  the  mother  went  back  and  told  her  hus- 
band and  wept  many,  many  days,  and  the  chief  had 

the  story 
carved  in  the 
great  Totem 
pole  in  the 
front  of  the 
lodge,  and 
there  you  will 
see  it  to-day, 
and  it  is  cut  in  all  the  totem  poles  of  the  Crow  totem 
as  a  warning  to  all  children  not  to  disobey  their  pa- 
rents, and  it  can  be  read  there  by  all  who  can  read 
carvings." 

This  was  the  story  of  the  Crow  children,  and  it  is 
a  good  story  to  remember,  for  it  is  not  good  for  chil- 
dren to  disobey.  When  the  Pine  had  finished  1  said 
"Klook-wah"  to  him  and  paddled  away  across  the  Lake 
of  the  Mountains  to  wait  until  another  time. 


The  Crow. 


S 
s 


HEN  I  next  saw  the  Wise  One  I  had 
been  on  a  Joug  journey  on  the  big 
water,  and  there  on  a  lonely  island 
away  toward  the  home  of  Colesuass, 
the  winter,  I  had  looked  upon  Kit-si- 
nao,  the  Stone  Mother,  who  sits  in  the  side  of  the  rock 
and  weeps  always.  I  did  not  know  the  story  of  this, 
though  I  knew  it  must  be  a  story,  for  the  mother  would 
not  be  changed  to  stone  for  nothing,  and  have  to  stay 
there  always,  instead  of  going  to  the  land  of  Shadows, 
and  living  there  again,  as  all  people  do  who  have  not 
done  bad  deeds. 

So  then  I  said  to  the  Talking  Pine,  "Do  you  know 
the  story  of  the  stone   woman,    Kit-si-nao,   who   sits 
alone  on  the  mountain,  Wise  One?" 
"Yes,  I  know  of  KIt-si-nao,  the  one  who  weeps  alone," 

114 


)  I 


B    fZ       y-      ,1., 


d 
o 

CO 

o 
o 
r 

H 


■••s 


KIT-Sl-NA-O.    THE    STONE    MOTHER. 


117 


said  the  Talking  Pino.    "Would  you  like  to  bear  the 
story,  T'solo,  the  wanderer?" 

"Tell  the  story,  Wise  One.    I  listen." 

"Then  this  is  the  tale: 

"Once,  a  long  time  ago,  this  woman,  ICit-si-nao,  lived 


SKOOLT-KA  HAD  ONLY  ONE  CHILD. 

there  on  that  island  and  was  happy,  for  she  had  many 
sons  and  daughters  tn  make  her  heart  glad,  and  she 
loved  them  d   irly. 

"This  was  f.  jod,  for  it  is  well  to  have  many  sons  and 
daughters. 


118 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Kit-si-nao  was  of  the  Crow  totem,  and  in  the  same 
island  was  another  mother  who  was  of  the  totem  of 
Ilootza,  the  wolf,  and  who  was  Skoolt-ka. 

"Now  this  woman,  Skoolt-ka,  the  wolf,  had  only  one 
little  child,  and  this  one  was  small,  and  not  strong, 


THE   TRIBE   OF   HOOT-ZA    MET    IN   COUNCIL. 

like  the  children  of  Kit-si-nao,  the  crow,  but  Skoolt-ka 
loved  it  all  the  more  because  it  was  all  she  had,  and 
was  small  and  weak. 

"One  day  in  the  moon  when  birds  nest,  this  child 
was  playing  by  the  lodge  door  when  Kit-si-nao  came 


1 


# 


"^^^■''y/zna^/^y.  ///^/'y^-:^^ 


'^:>^;^^"^^ 


-■'/'.      'i 
^^'-^.^v 


^^w.^^m^^'myx^. 


ryj 


^  '^\  / 


...^^  y  ^  ^/ ^y:J /^ 


•V'^'x;^ 


HmiNiiii 


:.-y 


f-r/'.- 


THE  TRIBE  OF  HOOT-ZA  UAN  TO  HER  LODGE. 


119 


KIT-SI-NA-0,    THE    STONE    MOTHER. 


121 


by  and  she  laughed  at  it,  and  made  fun  because  it  was 
a  weak  child,  and  did  not  run  like  her  children  did. 

"Then  the  child  began  to  cry,  and  Skoolt-ka  came 
and  heari^  the  words  of  Kit-si-nao.  Then  her  heart 
was  heavy  because  of  this,  and  she  sat  and  mourned 
a  long  time,  so  long  that  her  Tah-mah-na-wis,  IToot-za, 
the  wolf,  came  and  said,  *Why  do  you  weep?' 

"  *I  weep  because  my  thoughts  are  heavy  with  the 
words  of  Kit-si-nao,'  said  Skoolt-ka. 

"  *And  what  are  the  words  of  Kit-si-nao,  give  me  the 
talk,'  said  Hoot-za,  the  wolf,  and  then  Skoolt-ka  gave 
him  the  talk  of  Kit-si-nao  this  way : 

"*Ho!  Ho!  You  are  the  little  one!  You  do  not  run. 
Your  feet  are  tender,  and  the  stones  hurt  you.  You 
must  ride  on  the  back  of  your  mother.  You  have  no 
brothers  and  no  sisters  and  you  are  always  by  your 
mother's  door.  Why  do  you  not  play  with  the  other 
children?  Because  you  are  afraid.  Ho!  Ho!  You  are 
the  little  one.' 

"When  Hoot-za,  the  wolf,  heard  of  this  talk,  he  was 
angry,  and  called  all  of  the  tribe  of  the  wolves  and  they 
came  and  sat  in  a  council,  and  Hoot-za,  the  chief,  told 
them  of  the  words  of  Kit-si-nao  and  asked  what  should 
be  done. 

"The  tribe  of  Hoot-za  then  thought  deeply,  as  the 


122 


TOTEM    TALES. 


i; 


council  pipe  was  smoked,  and  then  it  was  decided  tliat 
Kit-si-nao  must  be  punished  for  her  bad  deed  of  laugh- 
ing at  a  little  weak  child,  so  the  wolves  ran  to  her 
lodge  and  killed  and  ate  all  the  children  of  Kit-sl-njio, 
the  crow  mother,  because  of  her  bad  deeds. 


THE    STONE    WOMAN. 

"Then  Kit-si-nao  was  very  sad  and  went  up  on  the 
mountain  where  you  saw  hor  and  wept  all  the  rest  of 
her  days  for  her  children  who  were  gone. 

"As  she  sat  there,  Colesick,  the  keeper  of  the  dead, 
came  and  changed  her  into  stone,  and  left  her  there, 


KIT-SI-NA-0,    THE    STONE    MOTHER. 


123 


as  a  warning  to  all  people  not  to  laugh  at  those  who 
are  small  and  weak,  and  that  is  why  you  saw  Kit-si- 
nao,  the  stone  mother,  sitting  there  weeping  on  the 
mountain-side  by  the  big  water. 

"Now,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  the  moon  makes  a  short 
shadow,  and  soon  Spe-ow  will  open  the  daylight  box 
and  your  paddle  is  tired  from  laying  in  the  canoe. 
Come  again  when  Polikely,  the  night,  is  young,  and 
we  will  have  other  tales  that  it  is  well  to  know." 

So  then  I  left  the  Talking  Pine,  and  went  to  my 
lodge  to  wait  until  another  time,  and  to  think  about 
Kit-si-nao,  the  stone  mother,  and  her  deeds. 


r 

i]  31 


1 


HE  Talking  Pine  nodded  in  friendly 
greeting  as  I  got  out  of  the  canoe 
and  came  up  to  my  usual  place  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  tree: 
"Klahowya,  T'solo,  the  ^/anderer, 
it  is  well  that  you  came  to-day,  for  to-day  the  pines 
will  sing  the  rain  song,  and  you  shall  sing  with  us, 
for  it  is  a  good  song  and  one  to  know." 

"So  be  it,  \Yise  One,  1  will  learn  the  rain  song,  that 
I  may  know  it  when  I  am  in  other  lands.  It  is  a  good 
song  to  know  when  the  air  is  dry,  and  you  can  get  no 
water  for  your  throat.  I  will  learn  the  rain  song  of 
you.  Wise  One." 

"Come,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  and  sit  at   my  feet, 
where  I  can  spread  my  arms  over  you  and  keep  the 
rain  away. 
"Now  when  the  wind  comes  all  the  pines  will  sing 

124 


THE   RAIN   SONG. 


126 


the  wind  song  and  dance  the  wind  dance  before  they 
sing  the  rain  song.  You  know,  my  friend  T'solo,  that 
the  wind  must  always  come  to  help  the  pines  sing,  so 
be  not  impatient  to  hear  the  rain  song  until  the  wind 
can  help  us." 

So  I  sat  down  by  the  feet  of  the  Talking  Piuc,  and 


SAT    AND   SMOKED    MY   PIPE. 

smoked  my  pipe  and  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  wind 
to  see  the  wind  dance,  and  hear  the  rain  song. 

Soon  the  wind  came  slowly  out  of  the  Southwest 
and  the  pines  began  to  sing  and  the  wind  sang  with 
them.    At  first,  so  so'tly  Tcould  scarce  hear  it,  and  I 


t    J 


126 


TOTEM    TALES. 


asked  the  Talking  Pine,   "Do  you  sing,  Wise  One?" 
"Yea,  listen,"  answered  he. 

Then  I  heard  the  wind  song,  for  it  had  gathered 
strength  as  all  the  pines  began  to  sing,  and  I  could 
hear  it  verj-^  plainly.  Then  the  pines  all  began  to  dance 
and  to  swing  their  long  arms  in  time  with  the  song, 
and  to  sway  and  sing  until  they  were  all  mad  with 
the  dance,  and  1  thought  they  would  fall. 

The  song  was  wild  and 
mournful,  as  it  always  is, 
and  they  sing  it  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  pines,  so  one 
must  know  their  talk  to 
learn  the  words  they  sing. 
I  heard  them  calling 
the  rain  to  come  out  from 
behind  the  clouds  and 
sing  with  them.    Then  the 

Flowers  and  Grasses.  rain  rodP   doWU    with    the 

wind,    and    some    rested    on    the    pines,     but     most 
of  it  went  on  down  and  sung  with  the  flowers  and  the 
grass;  for  the  rain,  you  know,  is  restless  and  cannot 
stay  long  in  one  place. 
The  pines  all  love  the  rain  and  always  sing  the  rain 


a 

3 
a 

a 
> 

O 
H 
O 


^2 

a 

a 
> 

o 


127 


THE    RAIN   SONG. 


129 


song  when  they  see  it  coming  in  the  clouds,  so  it  will 
stop  and  sing  with  them. 

For  a  long  time  the  pines  and  the  rain  sung  to- 
gether, then  the  rain  Tvent  away,  and  the  wind  went 
with  it,  and  the  pines  were  left  all  alone. 

The  wind,  you  know,  is  never  tired,  and  travels  all 
the  time,  so  the  pines  always  call  the  wind  to  help 
them  dance,  and  they  always  go  to  sleep  when  the 
wind  goes  away,  and  the  sun  wraps  his  warm  blanket 
around  them. 

.   "It  was  a  good  dance,"  said  the  Talking  Pine,  when 
they  had  finished  and  the  Avind  had  gone. 

"Come  again,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  and  I  will  show 
you  other  things,  and  sing  other  songs,  but  now  I 
sleep." 

Then  I  got  in  my  canoe  and  crossed  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains,  and  left  the  Talking  Pine  to  sleep  out  his 
sleep  until  another  time. 


1'SOLO,  wanderer,  it  is  a  good  night  for  a  tale; 
Snoqualni  makes  a  path  on  the  water,  and  the 
Slial-lal-a-toots  put  his  picture  in  the  lake.  Wah-wah- 
hoo,  the  frog,  sings  for  his  wife  among  the  rushes  and 
the  night  people  call  from  the  shadows  of  the  pines 
with  many  voices.  It  i?  a  night  for  a  tale  that  has  no 
blood  in  it,  for  the  smell  cV  blood  in  the  mind  is  not  a 
good  smell  with  the  riii  of  a  night  such  as  this.  It  is 
a  smell  for  daytime  and  stories  of  war,  not  for  times 
of  peace  and  the  full  leaf  of  trees. 

"There  is  a  story  that  goes  with  the  night  well,  and 
it  is  a  good  tale  to  know,  for  it  tells  of  the  folly  of  the 
young  and  how  it  is  better  to  listen  to  the  word  of 
those  who  are  old,  and  who,  by  their  age,  have  learned 
much  wisdom.  Wisdom  is  a  good  thing  and  it  is  only 
the  old  who  are  wise,  for  they  are  full  of  years. 

"To-night,  then,  we  will  hear  of  Wah-wah-hoo,  the 

130 


WAH-WAH-HOO.    THE    FROG. 


131 


little  singer  who  lives  ainonj^  the  riishcH  over  there  in 
the  lake." 

This,  then,  the  great  Wise  One  told  me  about  the 
frog,  and  how  he  came  to  be  a  frog,  and  you  will  re- 
member that  the  frog  is  a  little  man,  and  not  kill  him 
when  you  see  him,  for  some  day  he  will  be  changed 

back  to  his  proper  shape 
again,  and  there  will  be  no 
more  frogs.    It  is  this  way: 

"A  long,  long  time  ago,  so 
long  that  the  oldest  man  can- 
not remember,  there  was  a 
great  chief,  who  was  the  rul- 
er of  everything. 

"This  man  was  the  king  of 
all  men,  and  all  birds,  and 
all  animals  and  ruled  the 
world  and  all  in  it  except  an- 
other chief,  whose  name  was 
Klack-a-mass,  and  who  was  always  nt  war  with  the 
great  chief. 

"After  many  years  these  two  got  tired  of  so  much 
war  and  held  a  great  council  talk,  for  they  were  In- 
dians, and  Indians  always  have  a  council  when  there 
is  an  important  question  to  decide. 


The  Great  Chief. 


i: 


132 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"This  council  lasted  for  many  days,  and  before  it 
was  dom^,  the  two  chiefs  had  agreed  not  to  have  any 
more  wars. 

"Then  they  smoked  the  great  peace  pipe  and  blew 
the  smoke  to  the  four  winds,  so  the  world  would  know 


SMOKED  THE   PEACE   F.PB. 

they  were  at  peace,  and  there  would  not  be  any  more 
fighting. 

"Now  Klack-a-mass  had  a   daughter   whose    name 
was  Kla-klack-hah,  the  woman  who   talks,    and    the 


a 


WAH-WAH-HOO.    THE    FROG. 


133 


(A 


great  chief  had  a  son  whose  name  was  Wah-wah-hoo, 

the  singer. 
"When  the  peace  pipe  had  been  smoked  at  the  great 

council,  Klack-a-mass  thought  it  would  be  well  for  his 

daughter  lo  become  the  wife    of    Wah-wah-hoo,    and 

thus  make  the  two 
tribes  blood  relations 
and  stop  any  fighting 
for  all  times. 

"The  great  chief 
thought  that  would 
be  well,  too,  so  it  was 
all  arranjied  for    the 


young   folks    to 


get 


Wah-wah-hoo. 


married,  without  say- 
ing anything  to  them 
about  it. 

"After  the  council 
was  over  they  were 
told  that  on  a  certain 

day  they  must  got  married,  and  thus  make  the  tribes 

blood  relations,  as  the  Indians  say. 

"Kla-klack-hah  thought  it  was  all  right    and    was 

willing  to  marry  Wah-wah-hoo,  but  Wah-wah-hoo  was 

very  sad,  and  did  not  sing  his  songs  any  more,  for  he 


134 


TOTEM    TALES. 


•i! 


:i 


had  long  loved  a  girl  of  his  oAvn  tribe  named  Hah-hah, 
the  one  with  the  bright  eyes. 

"When  Wah-wah-hoo  told  the  news  to  Hah-hah,  she 
too  was  sad,  for  she  loved  Wah-wah-hoo  dearly,  a''  * 
they  had  planned  to  be  married  when  the  salmon  ber- 
ries were  ripe  again,  which  is  in  the  middle  of  the 
summer. 

"They  talked  and  made  all  kinds  of  plans  to  escape 
the  fate  that  would  be  theirs  if  the  Tyee  insisted  on 
the  mariage  of  Wah-wah-hoo  and  Kla-klack-hah,  but 
all  these  plans  were  thrown  away  again  because  they 
C(  uld  not  be  carried  out. 

"Closer  and  closer  came  the  time  when  W^ah-wah- 
hoo  must  leave  Hah-hah,  and  go  with  Kla-klack-hah, 
and  soon  there  was  only  one  day  more. 

"Then  the  lovers  met  in  a  dell  in  the  forest  to  say 
good-bye  and  part  forever. 

"Ilah-hah  came  with  her  linest  dress  of  tanned  and 
beaded  doeskin  on,  and  wore  all  her  ornaments  of 
Hiaqua  shells,  and  over  her  shoulders  she  threw  a 
beautiful  shawl  of  woven  cedar  bark. 

"Her  hair  hung  in  thick  glossy  braids  and  her  eyes 
shone  bright.  11  er  cheeks  were  red  and  soft,  l(k»>  the 
skin  of  a  peach,  and  her  smile  was  all  sunshine  to 
Wah-wah-l]a)o. 


i, 


ii 

I 


'I 


WAH-WAH-HOO,    THE    FROG. 


186 


il 

I 


"For  a  long  time  they  sat  and  talked  there  among 
the  bright  fiovers  that  grew  in  the  dell,  and  then  Wah- 
wah-hoo  said,  'Let  us  go  away  in  the  woods,  far  away 

to  some  other 
land  and  live, 
and  forget 
this  place  we 
live  in,  and 
;forget  Kla- 
k  1  a  c  k-h  a  h. 
We  will  find 
another  land 
and  live  there 
always  a  n  d 
be  happy.' 

"II  a  h-h  a  h 
thought  for  a 
time  and  then 
she  said, 
*Y  e  s,'  an  d 
W  a  h  -  w  a  h- 
hoo  stood  up 
then  and  took  her  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  into  the 
forest. 

"For  manv  dnvs  thev  traveled,  and  at  last  came  to  a 


^''  \x^ 


Carried  her  into  the  forest. 


I 


136 


TOTEM   TALES. 


great  river  and  a  sunny  country  tliat  was  close  to  the 
mountaii  'fl'^re  we  will  stop  and  build  a  lodge,'  aaid 
Wah-wah-h^  nd  we  will  be  safe  and  can  live  liappy 
always.' 

"So  Wali-wah-hoo  built  a  lodge  of  poles  and  cedar 
bark  and  fashioned  a  canoe  out  of  a  cedar  log,  with 
fire  and  the  stone  hatchet,  T'shum-in,  and  built  spears 
and  traps  to  catch  the  wild  birds  and  animals  for  food. 

"Ilah-hah  wove  nets  out  of  the  roots  of  the  hemlock 
tree  for  Wah-wah-hoo  to  catch  fish  with,  and  she  made 
mats  of  rushes  to  carpet  the  lodge,  and  blankets  of  the 
soft  cedar  bark  to  sleep  on,  and  they  lived  in  peace 
and  happiness. 

"Now  the  groat  Tyee  and  all  the  rest  of  the  tribe  at 
home  did  not  know  that  the  young  people  were  gone, 
so  when  the  wedding  day  for  Wah-wah-hoo  and  Kla- 
klack-hah  came  around,  all  the  people  came  to  the 
place  dressed  in  their  brightest  robes  and  ready  for  a 
great  merry  making. 

"Kla-klack-hah  wore  her  wedding  robes  of  beaded 
doeskin,  trimmed  with  bright  feathers  and  had  her 
hair  braided  in  long  braids. 

"A  great  feast  was  made  ready  and  all  the  people 
waited  the  coming  of  Wah-wah-hoo  to  claim  his  bride. 

"The  time  passed,  and  though  the  people  waited  un- 


WAH-WAH-HOO,    THE    PROG. 


137 


til  the  sun  went  down,  VVah-wali-boo  never  came,  for 

he  was  with  Hah-hah  then,  hurrying  away  through  the 

great  forest. 
"When  the  sun  went  down  Klack-a-mass,  who  was 

Kla-klack-hah's  father,  grew  very  angry  at  the  way  his 

daughter  had  been  treated,  and  sent  for  the  llyas  Tyee 

to  find  why  Wah-wah-hoo  did  not  come. 

"The  Tyee  oamt^,  and  wlien  Klack-a-mass  told  him 

the  trouble,  ordered  runners  to  seek  for  Waliwah-hoo 

and  bring  him  to  the 
feast  at   once. 

"All  night  the  run- 
ners sought  and  at 
sunrise  they  rei)orted 
that     Wah-wah-hoo 


was  gone. 


The  Eagle  circled  high. 


"Now  they  looked 
for  ITah-hah,  and  she  too  was  gone.  Then  the 
Tyee  knew  they  had  tied  and  would  not  come  unless 
they  were  caught,  and  he  grew  very  angry  at  his  son, 
who  dared  to  disobey  the  word  of  the  great  chief,  his 
father. 

"Then  he  called  a  council  of  all  the  animals,  and 
birds,  and  lishes,  and  told  them  of  the  doings  of  his  son. 


138 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"To  the  Eagle  he  said,  'Fly  high  and  watch  for  Wah- 
wah-hoo,  and  do  not  let  him  pass.' 

"To  the  fishes  he  said,  'See  that  they  do  not  go  by 
you  on  the  waters.' 
"He  told  the  chief  of  the  wolves  to  smell  them  out. 
"The  sea  gull,  the  snake,  the  squirrel,  and  the  chief 
of  the  mosquitos  were  all  told  to  see  that  the  lovers 
did  not  pass,  and  all  the  other  wild  things  were  told 
to  watch  that  the  runaways  did  not  hide. 

"Then  the  council 
broke  up  and  the  ani- 
mals began  to  look 
everywhere,  and  it 
seemed  that  Wah- 
wah-hoo  and  Ilah- 
hah  must  soon  be 
captured  and  brougui 
back. 

"T'set-shin,  the  snake,  wriggled  through  the  grass 
and  among  the  tangle  of  the  berry  patches  to  find 
them. 

"Tyee  Eula-kula,  the  great  bald  eagle,  circled  high 
in  the  air,  and  looked  down  over  the  hills. 

"The  fishes  swam  the  waters  and  looked  for  the 
canoe  of  Wah-wah-hoo. 


T'set-shin,  the  Snake. 


WAH-WAH-HOO,    THE    FROG. 


139 


"The  squirrels  vvatebed  among  the  trees  as  they  ran 
up  and  down  seeking  nuts  and  pine  cones. 

"T'kope  kula-kula,  the  sea 
gull,  watched  on  the  sea. 

"The  chief  of  the  wolves 
smelled  the  ground  and  soon 
found  the  lovers,  but  he  re- 
membered that  Wah-wah-hoo 
had  once  saved  his  life  when 
he  had  been  caught  fast  in  a 
trap,  so  he  told  all  the  tribe 
of  wolves  not  to  say  where  the 
lovers  were.  ^'"'  Sft"'"*!  watched. 

"The  chief  of  the  mosquitos  found  them  too,  but 
s^x^---^ —  Hah-hah    had   saved   his   life 

once  and  he,  too,  told  all  his 
tribe  to  disperse  and  not  say 
'where  the  young  folks  had 
gone. 
"Now  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jaj', 
^1'  who  is  chief  of  all  the  »kall- 
lal-a-toots,  the  fairies  of  the 
woods,  you  know,  told  all  his  people  to  hide  the  runa- 
ways, for  he  was  the  friend  of  Wah-wah-hoo,  and  so 


The  Tribe  of  the  Mosquitos. 


140 


TOTEM   TALES. 


the  Skall-lal-a-toots  worked  to  hide  them,  and  to  send 
the  animals  to  looking  in  other  places. 

"So  the  animals  looked  for  many  days  and  did  not 
find  Wah-wah-hoo  and  liah-hah,  and  they  still  lived 
in  the  lod<j;e  by  the  great  river. 

"But  the  time  came  when  Colesnass,  the  winter 
wind,  came  doAvn  from  his  ice  lodge  far  away  in  the 
north,  and  locked  the  rivers  and  the  lakes  with  ice. 

"Then  Wah-wah-hoo  could  catch  no  more  fish,  and 
the  snow  was  so  deep  he  could  not  hunt,  and  soon 


THE  WOLVES  SMELLED  THE  GROUND. 

there  was  nothing  left  to  eat  in  the  lodge,  and  hunger 
came  in  the  door. 

"Then  Yelth,  the  raven,  who  is  the  keeper  of  the  tire, 
came  to  the  lodge  and  stole  the  fire,  because  Wah- 
wah-hoo  could  not  give  it  enough  wood  to  burn. 

"Colesick,  who  la  the  chief  of  the  dead,  came  and 
took  the  life  of  Hah-hah  away,  and  left  her  dead,  and 
Wah-wah-hoo  was  sick  in  his  mind  for  her. 

"Wah-wah-hoo  took  the  body  of  Ilah-hah  and  went 
to  the  great  rock  that  hangs  over  the  pool  in  the  river 
at  the  loot  of  the  falls  and  sung  his  death  chant. 


WAH-WAH-HOO,    THE    FROG. 


Ul 


"Then  he  plunged  off  into  the  seething,  whirling 
pool,  far  below,  to  die  there,  because  Uah-hah  was  dead. 

"But  Wah-wah-hoo  did  not  die. 

"The  chief  of  the  fishes  saw  him  when  he  jumped 
and  he  took  Wah-wah-hoo,  and  swimming  under  the 
ice,  brought  him  to  the  lodge  of  the  Hyas  Tyee,  his 


PLUNGED  OFF  INTO  THE  WHIRLPOOL. 

father,  and  there  put  him  on  the  shore,  and  called  the 
Great  Chief,  who  came  and  found  his  son. 

"Now  the  chief  was  still  very  angry  at  his  son,  so  he 
said,  'You  have  dared  to  disobey  the  will  of  your  fa- 
ther, who  is  the  Hyas  Tyee,  chief  of  all  things.    You 


■p 


142 


TOTEM   TALES. 


went  away  into  the  woods  and  left  your  bride  before 
the  wedding  day.  You  are  not  fit  for  men  and  I  will 
change  your  form.  Go  and  be  a  frog,  and  sit  in  the 
mud,  and  sing 
there  always,  that 
I  may  hear  your 
voice  and  know 
that  you  are 
afraid  of  men.' 

"So  it  was  that 
Wah-wah-hoo  was 
changed  by  his 
father's  magic  in- 
to a  frog,  and  now 
he  sings  at  night 
to  mourn  for  his 
dead  wife. 

"Hah-h  ah  is 
dead,  and  her 
shadow  looks  for 
Wah-wah-hoo,  but 
cannot  find  him,be- 
cause  he  is  a  frog. 

"Hah-hah  does  not  know  this,  and  they  say  she  trav- 
els over  the  swamps  at  night  with  a  strange  white  light 


The  Chief  of  the  Fishes  took  him. 


— 


WAH-WAH-HOO,   THE    FROG. 


145 


in  her  hand,  looking  for  Wah-wah-hoo,  but  he  is  afraid 
of  the  light  and  jumps  into  the  water,  because  he  is  a 
frog. 

"The  white  men  call  Uah-hah  the  'Will-o'-th'-Wisp,' 
and  sometimes  they  try  to  talk  with  her,  but  then  she 
only  runs  away  over  the  swamp  and  they  can  never 
get  near  her. 

"So  now  you  know  who  the  frog  is,  and  why  the  Will- 
o'-th'-Wisp  drifts  across  the  bogs  at  night,  because  I 
have  told  you  the  tale  as  it  was  told  to  me  by  the  Talk- 
ing Pine  a  long  time  ago,  away  out  close  to  where  the 
sun  goes  down  by  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains. 

"You  will  remember  now  that  the  frog's  real  name  is 
Wah-wah-hoo  and  that  he  sings  for  Hah-hah  to  come 
to  him,  when  you  hear  his  voice  at  night." 


-« 


i<;^HlJ^q 


'i 


HEN  the  leaves  turned  brown,  the 
third  moon  after  the  ripening  of 
the  first  salmon  berry,  I  journeyed 
again  to  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains 
and  smoked  the  Chinoos  until  the 
moon  rose;  then  I  went  in  my  canoe  across  the 
lake,  and  when  the  moon  was  so  high  as  a  pine  that  has 
seen  but  one  snow,  I  sat  by  the  foot  of  the  Talking 
Pine,  to  see  the  sight  of  the  Kloo-kwallie,  and  watch 
SMoaks,  the  son  of  Yelth,  the  raven,  become  a  Tah- 
mah-na-wis-man. 
It  was  a  good  sight. 

A  fire  was  started  and  soon  made  to  blaze  high,  that 
the  Ma-sah-chee  Tah-mah-na-wis  would  have  his  power 
burned  away. 
Paints  of  many  'Colors  were  brought  out  and  soon  all 

146 


KLOO-KWALLIE,   THE    MEDICINE   DANCE. 


147 


the  dancers  were  painted  so  bright  that  the  Evil  Eye 
was  blind.  Spud-tee-doek,  the  protector,  was  brought 
and  Stood  up  in  the  light. 

"Listen,"  said  the  Talking  Pine,  and  I  heard  a  loy*^ 
song  that  came  from  a  long  way,  and 
was  faint  like  the  voice  of  the  lake 
when  the  wind  ripples  its  face,  and 
the  Kloo-kwallie  was  begun. 

It  was  a  low-toned  song  that  had 
not  many  words,  yet  those  words 
were  not  in  the  Twana  language, 
which  was  spoken  by  the  tribe  of 
S'donks,  and  the  Talking  Pine  told 
me  he  did  not  know  the  words, 
though  he  had  heard  them  many 
times  wheu  he  was  young. 

Louder  it  sounded  and  many 
voices  join 00  in,  and  then  the 
Klootch-m^^n,  who  do  not  dance, 
wrapped  their  bark  skirts  close 
around  them,  and  sat  down  to  beat 
drums  in  time  with  the  chant  that 
Spud-tee-dock.       fjip  j^^n  ^'ere  singing. 

Like  the  beat  of  the  surf  on  the  ocean  sand  the  song 
rose  and  feil,  louder,  and  deep,  and  full,  until  a  great 


148 


TOTEM   TALES. 


noise  like  the  sound  of  the  streets  in  the  town  of  Squin- 
turn,  the  white  man  across  the  mountains,  came  in  the 
air  and  filled  it. 

That  was  the  song  of  the  Kloo-kwallie,  the  song  that 
nobody  knows  except  the  wild  men  who  dance  until 
all  are  hoo-ie,  and  their  eyes  stare  and  see  nothing, 
like  the  crazy  folks  who  have  looked  on  the  Evil  Eye. 

With  a  great  roar  of  voices  and  the  beating  of  many 
drums  came  the  dancers,  all  in  line,  and  all  dancing 
slow. 

Each  one  would  jump  and  then  stand  stiff  like  a  man 
carved  from  wood,  and  then  jump  again.  Around  the 
fire  they  all  moved  until  they  looked  like  black  shad- 
ows, and  the  light  from  the  fire  went  up  in  the  air  and 
made  bright  the  arms  of  the  Talking  Pine,  and  no  light 
showed  through  the  circle  because  so  many  were 
dancing. 

After  the  men  had  danced  for  some  time,  and  the 
song  was  fast  and  the  dancing  wild,  the  Talking  Pine 
whispered  and  told  me  to  watch  now  and  listen,  for 
S'doaks  would  soon  be  tested  by  the  fire  test. 

As  I  watched  the  dancers  seemed  to  get  pelton, 
crazy,  the  white  men  say,  and  two  ran  up  to  S'doaks, 
and  caught  him,  one  by  the  neck  and  one  by  the  heels, 


THEY  LOOKED  LIKE  BLACK  SHADOWS. 


U» 


KLOO-KWALLIE   THE  MEDICINE  DANCE. 


161 


and  they  carried  him  to  a  small  fire  that  was  built  to 
burn  slowly. 

Over  this  fire  they  held  S'doaks,  with  his  back  close 
to  it,  until  it  was  cracked  and  burned,  and  blisters 
came,  and  caused  pain  that  would  make  any  but  a 
medicine  man  moan  and  cry  out. 


HELD   S'DOAKS  WITH   HIS   BACK   CLOSE   TO   THE   FIRE. 

But  S'doaks  had  strong  medicine  and  laughed  while 
his  back  burned. 

Then  they  carried  him  back  and  set  him  down  again 
in  the  circle  to  djiice.  As  he  danced  around  the  medi- 
cine fire,  and  sung  the  sono-  of  the  medicine  Kloo- 


mu 


3 


il 


152 


TOTEM    TALES. 


kwallie,  tbe  Klootchmau  gave  liim  sticks  pointed  with 
sharp  bone,  and  with  these  he  scourged  himself  until 
the  blood  ran  down  and  dried  black  against  his  skin. 
"The  other  dancers  lashed  his  back  and  arms  with 
switches,  and  put  cedar  splinters  that  blazed  like  a 


WITH   THESE   HE   SCOURGED   HIMSELF. 

torch  against  his  skin,  and  S'doaks  still  danced,  for  his 
medicine  was  strong  and  his  Tah-mah-na-wis  made 
him  so  he  did  not  feel  his  hurts. 

Until  the  moon  was  straight  over  the  head  of  the 
Talking  Pine,  the  dance  went  on,  and  S'doaks  fell  down 


a 
a 

a 
3 

B 

r 
o 

d 
n 


■n 


US 


KLOO-KWALLIE,  THE  MEDICINE  DANCE. 


165 


like  a  dead  man,  with  liis  eyes  open,  but  he  eould  not 
see,  for  his  medicine  was  gone  and  he  was  now  lilie 
other  people  and  like  a  man  w^ho  is  mem-a-loose,  dead, 
you  know. 

Then  the  Mid-win-nie  men,  who  do  not  dance,  took 
S'doaks  and  carried  him  to  the  medicine  lodge   and 

brought  him  back  to  life    again, 
and  in  time  he  got  well. 

The  Talking  Pine  told  me  that 
tf  ihiH  he  must  do  as  many  times  as 
he  could,  and  dance  the  torture 
dance  of  the  Kloo-kwallie  again, 
before  the  moon  when  the  birds 
s'doakB  fell  down.  uest,  and  that  if  he  did  this,  and 
his  medicine  was  strong  so  he  would  not  feel  his  hurts, 
then  he  would  be  a  new  Tah-mah-na-wis  man,  and  be 
one  of  the  Mid-win-nie  clan  and  be  a  doctor. 

This  1  know  he  did,  for  I  saw  him  cure  a  boy  who 

had  looked  on  the  Evil  Eye  and 
was  already  dead,  but  the  medi- 
cine of  S'doaks  was  strong  and 
Medicine  Pipe.  brought  the  boy  back  to  his  body, 

and  made  him  alive  again. 

And  this  was  the  dance  of  the  Kloo-kwallie  that  was 
danced  at  the  foot  of  the  great  Talking  Pine. 


166 


TOTEM   TALES. 


When  it  was  over  1  got  iu  my  canoe,  and  crossed 
back  to  my  lodge,  and  waited  for  word  to  come  again 
from  my  friend,  the  Wise  One,  Ka-ki-i-sil-mah,  the  Talk- 
ing Pine. 


:  . 


son}*' 


HE    wind    was    singing    a    war 

and  the  lake  sang  with  it,  while  the 

white  topped  waves    were   hurrying 

^^^^^t^i^      against  the  yellow  sand  and  the  rest- 

r ""  ;°   ~ 1      less  canoe  that  bowed   and   jumped 

over  the  water  as  it  looked  at  the  wind. 

The  voice  of  the  tribe  of  the  pines  came  to  my  listen- 
ing ear  in  a  low  murmur  from  all  the  mountain  side, 
as  they  sang  the  wind  song,  and  the  swing  of  their 
arms  made  music  for  the  wind  dance. 

The  great  Talking  Pine  was  dancing  too,  and  did 
not  stop  his  song  as  1  came  up  from  the  sandy  beach 
of  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and  sat  by  his  feet. 

"Hest,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  until  the  dance  is  done, 

and  then  we  will  talk,"  said  the  Wise  One,  and  so  I 

sat  down  and  looked  across  the  lake  at  the  mountains 

and  at  the  pines. 

The  Skall-lal-a-toots  are  not  about  when  the  wind 

157 


1 


1S8 


TOTEM    TALES. 


I 


■  f 


1:1 

I 


hurries  by,  ami  so  there  wei'e  uo  pictures  in  the  lake, 
and  it  was  only  a  sheet  of  hurryiDg,  siugiug  water. 

VVheu  the  sun  sunk  into  the  great  water,  and  the  top 
of  Takomah,  tlie  great  white  mountain,  began  to  get 
like  the  leaf  of  a  rose,  then  the  wind  went  away,  the 


A  SHEET  OP  HURRYING,  SINGING  WATER. 

dancing  of  the  pines  was  done,  and  the  water  began 
to  sleep. 

"Now  we  will  hear  a  tale,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  and 
it  shall  be  the  tale  of  a  river  that  is  by  the  home  of 
Too-lux,  the  south  wind,  and  it  is  a  good  river,  for  it 


THE   RIVER  FALLS 


wAi^  1 


ABOUT   THE    RIVER    FALLS. 


161 


is  wide,  and  deep,  aud  strong.     11  is  tlie  stoi^  of  tlie 
river  falls,  Tum-chuclv,  tbis  way: 

•  Away  back  in  tlie  lime  of  long  ago,  tbis  river  trav- 
eled to  the  council  of  the  v.aters  just  as  it  does  now, 
but  in  one  place  there  was  a  great  bridge  of  stone  that 


THE   DKMONS    FOUGHT  A   ORKAT   KIGHT. 

was  built  by  the  Sah-ha-le    Tah-niah-na-wis,   so   that 
men  ccuild  go  over  it  witli  dry  nioccnsins. 

"This  bridge  was  very  strong  and  very  beauliful,  and 
It  was  planted  with  tr»'es  and  with  grass,  and  there 
were  Huwers  and  birds  there. 


162 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Now  in  the  mountains  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
there  lived  two  great  Too-muc'{,  or  demons,  and  al- 
ways these  (lemons  made  ma}>ic  to  kill  each  other,  al- 
ways, winter  or  summer,  day  or  night,  they  made  each 
his  cultas  medicine. 

"After  many,  many  moons,  they  fought  a  great  bat- 
tle and  the  air  was  black  with  their  breath. 

"The  ground  shook  with  their  light,  and  their  roars 
were  like  the  roar  of  the  great  water  where  the  waves 
come  against  the  sand. 

"They  breathed  fire  and  threw  great  mountain  rocks 
at  one  au()ther  until  the  people  were  frightened  and 
ran  away. 

"After  umny  suns  the  fighting  stopped  and  Hi(»  peo- 
I»le  came  back  again,  but  the  beautiful  vaUey  of  the 
grejit  river  was  all  changed. 

"The  grass  was  dead,  the  trees  were  withered,  and 
the  great  bridge  was  gone. 

"In  the  place  where  the  bridge  had  been  was  only 
a  heap  of  broken  and  jagged  rocks,  and  over  these  the 
river  roared  and  boiled  in  anger  as  it  hurried  on  to 
the  sea. 

"No  man  could  pass  this  i)lace  in  his  canoe,  no  swim- 
mer could  live  here  f(»r  the  time  of  three  breaths 
among  the  whirljxMds,  and  ever  after  the  great  river 


5? 

O 


E4 

n 

o 
d 
r 
o 


<5 

a 
w 


m 


ABOUT   THE   RIVER   FALLS. 


165 


must  fret  and  groan  over  the  rocks  of  the  broken 
bridge. 

"Far  down  under  the  water  could  be  seen  the  trees 
that  had  stood  on  the  bridge,  and  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah- 
mah-na-wis  has  made  them  to  be  stone  trees,  so  that 
they  will  always  be  there,  and  show  where  the  bridge 
used  to  stand  a  long  time  ago. 

"And  this  is  how  Turn-chuck,  the  falls  in  the  great 
river,  came  to  be  there,  and  why  they  will  always  be 
there,  for  the  water  to  sing  a  war  song  with  as  it  goes 
to  the  sea. 

"I  am  tired  with  dancing  and  talking  now,  T'solo, 
and  would  sleep.  Come  again  when  the  night  is  young 
and  I  will  tell  you  of  a  great  battle  of  the  demons,  that 
was  fought  by  the  bauks  of  this  same  river  before  Ka- 
ke-hete  was  chief  of  all  the  demon  tribe.  It  is  a  good 
story." 

"So  be  it,  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  "we  will  have  the 
demon  tale  sometime,  and  now  I  go  to  my  lodge  and 
wish  you  a  good  sleep." 

Then  I  went  with  a  lazy  paddle  across  the  Lake  of 
the  Mountains,  and  slept  until  the  sun  came  up  over 
the  great  mountains  from  the  country  of  Spe-ow. 


i^ 


UEKE  was  a  time,  Siah  Ahnn-n-cut- 
ty,  the  time  of  the  long  ago,  when 
the  mountains  smoked  and  fire  was 
in  the  air,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  and 
of  that  time  there  is  a  tale  that  we 
will  know  this  night." 
Thus  spoke  the  Talking  Pine  when  I  lit  the  Chinoos 
in  the  story  pipe  and  the  blue  smoke  came  free. 

"My  ears  listen  for  the  tale.  Wise  One,  and  the  night 
comes  fast,  so  speak,  and  we  will  know  the  tale,"  I 
answered. 


"It  is  well;  this  shall  be  the  tale  of  the  demons  this 

way,  T'solo: 

"In  the  time  when  the  mountains  burned  there  were                  | 

no  people  in  the  land  except  the  demon  people. 

the 

tribe  of  Ka-ke-hete,  and  they  had  thoughts  only 

for 

fighting  and  for  evil  ways. 

166 

TALE  OP  THE  DEMONS. 


167 


"There  was  a  place  not  far  from  the  place  where 
the  river  falls  were  made,  the  place  where  I  told  you 
of  the  stone  bridge,  T'solo,  and  this  place  was  a  great 
lake  like  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  but  much  larger. 

"Here  was  the  town  of  the  demons  and  here  they 
built  their  lodges  along  the  water. 

"Then  demons  all  had  long  tails,  which  were  very 
strong,  and  these  they  used  in  battle  and  they  always 
were  fighting. 


THE  STORY  PIPE. 


"There  was  a  big  demon,  who  was  the  worst  one, 
and  was  the  Tyee. 

"This  one  Avas  very  strong  and  had  much  magic  and 
evil  thoughts,  but  he  was  wise  in  many  ways,  and  many 
times  he  sat  still  and  thought  of  other  things  tlian 
fighting  while  he  smoked  his  Chinoos. 

"Now  this  wise  demon  saw  all  his  tribe  fighting,  al- 
ways among  themselves,  and  he  said,  'This  is  not  wise, 
for  sometime  thej  v>ill  all  kill  each  other,  and  there 


168 


TOTEM    TALES. 


! 

IB  ii 


will  be  no  demons  left.    It  is  better  to  live  in  peace 
and  have  no  more  fighting.* 

"Once  in  twelve  moons  all  the  tribe  came  together 
and  held  a  big  council,  and  at  one  of  these  councils 
the  demon  Tyee  made  a  good  talk  on  the  evil  of  all 


A  BIO  DEMON  WHO  WAS  THE  WORST  ONE. 

this  fighting  and  doing  other  unwise  things  that  they 
did. 

"This  kind  of  pow-wow  coming  from  the  chief  of  the 
tribe  was  something  that  the  demons  could  not  under- 
stand and  they  thought  he  meant  evil  for  them,  and 


H 

a 
a 

a 
o 

H 
O 

> 
o 

> 

a 
o 
o 

o 

^ 


169 


TALE   OF   THE    DEMONS. 


Ill 


SO  would  uot  be  a  y;<)od  chief  any  louger,  so  all  the 
whole  tribe  of  deinouH  j»;ot  up  to  fight  the  chief  to  kill 
him  for  his  ways  and  this  kind  of  talk. 

"Now  the  chief  knew  that  he  could  not  fight  the 
whole  tribe,  so  he  ran  away  to  save  himself,  and  all 
the  demons  ran  after  him. 


THE  GROUND  CRACKED  OPEN. 


"When  he  came  to  the  mountains  that  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  lake  he  struck  the  ground  a  mighty  blow 
with  his  tail,  and  the  ground  cracked  open,  so  that 
the  water  came  rushing  in. 


172 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Some  of  the  demous  bad  already  got  over  before 
tbe  water  came  iu  tbe  open  phu-e  in  tbe  ground,  and 
others  were  caught  and  drowned,  and  some  couhl  not 
get  across. 

"The  ones  that  got  across  still  ran  after  tbe  chief 
of  all  the  demons,  and  so  he  struck  the  ground  again. 


THE  GREAT  RIVER. 

and  again  it  cracked  and  tbe  water  rushed  in  from  tbe 
lake.  Tbe  first  few  demons  got  over,  but  the  water 
caught  many  more  this  time  and  they  were  swept 
away. 


TALE    OP   THE    DEMONS. 


m 


"Again  tho  chief  of  tlie  demons  wtriick  the  ground, 
and  this  time  it  Hi)lit  clear  across  the  big  mountains 
and  down  to  the  great  waters,  and  through  this  craclc 
the  water  rushed  and  roared,  and  made  a  big  river 
tlmt  is  the  river  of  the  tails  as  1  told  you,  and  is  the 
Oregon,  when  the  white  men  say  the  name,  and  the 
place  of  the  cracks  is  called  *The  Dalles,'  in  the  talk  of 
Squintum,  the  white  man. 

"T  h  e  river  carried 
away  the  lake  and  it 
took  the  bodies  of  all  the 
demons  clear  awav  to 
the  big  water  where  the 
sun  falls,  and  now  you 
can  see  their  bones 
sometimes  when  the 
wind  makes  the  great 
water  dig  them  out  of 
the  sand  there  by  the 
edge  of  it. 
"Now  when  the  demon 
His  tail  was  broken.  chief  got  away  and    sat 

down  to  breathe,  he  found  that  the  last  blow  had  brok- 
en his  tail  and  that  it  was  useless. 
"So  then  he  leaped  across  the  place  of  the  cracks, 


174 


TOTEM    TALES. 


i 


and  weut  homo,  for  there  were  uo  more  (lemons  to 
fie;ht,  "'ill  so  be  did  not  care  about  his  tail. 

*F7'om  this  family  of  demons  there  came  all  the  de- 
mons ;;f  the  tribe  of  Ka-ke-hete  and  tliey  were  taught 
not  to  fight  among  their  own  liind,  so  they  did  not 
need  i  tail,  aiMi  now  no  demon  has  one,  and  they 
only  work  evil  deeds  on  others,  and  are  ruled  ty  Ka- 
ke-hete,  who  iw  the  whistler. 

"So  chis  is  (he  .story  of  the  demons,  and  how  the 
great  river  came,  and  it  is  a  good  tale,  T'solo." 

When  the  tale  was  finished  I  took  Esick,  the  pad- 
dle, and  went  to  the  canoe  to  go  to  my  lodge. 

As  the  canoe  left  the  sand  the  Talking  Pine  called 
after  me  and  said,  "Come  to-morrow,  T'solo,  and  we 
will  have  other  tales,  and  shall  know  much  wisdom. 
Klook-wah,  til-la-cum." 

And  so  T  journeyed  away  to  my  lodge  by  the  Lake 
of  the  Mounta^Ko,  and  thought  of  these  thing.s,  and 
how  the  ri\er  came. 


e>jjst 


O-NIGHT  we  will  know  of  the  Evil 
Eye,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,"  said  the 
jj-reat  Talkin«^  Pine,  as  I  came  to  my 
place  by  his  feet. 
"It  is  well.  Wise  One,  tell  the  tale 
of  the  Evil  Eye  while  I  listen,  Ka-ki-i-sil-mah." 
So  then  the  tale  was  told,  and  it  is  like  this: 
"Know  you,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  that  the  Evil  Eye 
is  an  evil  thing-,  and  that  it  works  evil  magic  on  those 
who  look  upon  it,  and  he  who  has  this  has  also  an  evil 
mind  and  will  do  you  hurt. 

"Now  if  you  make  enemies  with  one  who  has  this 
Evil  Eye,  then  he  can  work  his  magic  spells  and  do 
you  great  hurt  if  once  you  look  on  his  face.  This  he 
may  not  choose  to  do  at  the  time  you  look  into  his  eyes, 
but  may  do  it  a  long  time  after,  and  when  he  is  not 
near  you. 

176 


176 


TOTEM   TALES. 


P! 


:f- 


"This  power  he  has  so  strong,  T'solo,  that  if  you  are 
four  days  journey  by  canoe  away  from  where  he  is,  he 
of  the  evi!  eye  can  yet  work  his  niagie  and  do  you  harm. 

"If  a  man  is  under  tlie  spell  of  the  evil  eye,  T'solo, 
then  he  is  pelton,  crazy,  you  know,  or  his  feet  do  not 
go  as  he  wants  them  to,  because  he  cannot  make  them 
step  like  other  people  can  because  of  the  spell.  Or  he 
may  walk  and  talk  as  other  men,  and  then  fall  down 
upon  the  grov  nd  and  roll  there  and  his  eyes  stare  and 
see  nothing,  and  foam  comes  from  his  mouth,  because 
of  the  evil  magic. 

"Now  in  sickness  the  Ta-mah-na-wis  men  know  what 
to  do,  because  they  can  work  spells  and  ftud  what  kind 
of  animal  is  gnawi»jg  at  the  sick  part  and  then  by 
charms  they  can  drive  this  animal  of  sickness  away, 
and  make  the  sick  man  well,  but  when  a  man  has 
lo(jked  on  the  Evil  Eye,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  then 
there  is  nothing  to  do  for  him,  because  no  magic,  nor 
medicine,  nor  charm  is  strong  enough  to  break  the 
spell  of  the  Evil  Eye. 

"The  Mid-wiu-uie  men  can  do  good  deeds  with  medi- 
cine, T'solo,  for  they  can  bring  back  the  life  of  a  dead 
man  from  Stickeen,  the  land  of  shadows,  if  they  make 
strong  medicine  and  good  charms  against  Cole-sick, 
the  keeper  of  the  dead,  and  this  1  know,  for  I  have 
seen  it  done. 


'N 


THE  EVIL  EYE. 


177 


MAGIC  OF  THE  EVIL  EYE. 


179 


"With  the  sijell  of  the  evil  eye  it  is  not  so.  There  is 
no  medicine  and  no  charm  that  will  break  this  spell, 
and  so  the  man  who  has  looked  on  the  Evil  Eye  is  no 
longer  a  man,  but  a  man's  body, 
which  is  mem-loose,  dead,  and  is  in  the 
koe]>inf!;  of  a  Too-muck,  a  demon  of 
evil  who  is  there  by  the  magic  of  the 
Evil  Eye,  and  who  is  the  slave  of  Ka- 
ke-hete,  chief  of  all  the  demons,  ami 
must  do  as  he  says  with  the  man's 
body. 

"Now  when  a  child  is  small,  T'solo, 
the  charm  of  the  Evil  Eye  can  not 
hurt  it,  so  there  is  a  way  to  know 
when  II  mail  has  got  an  evil  eye,  and 
It  is  this  way. 

"When  a  baby  comes  to  the  lodge, 
strap  it  on  a  smooth  board  of  cedar 
wood,  and  then  fasten  a  hanging  strap 
to  the  board  ho  the  child  may  be  hung 
up  on  a  peg  in  the  lodge  pole  and  be  ^  xoo-murk. 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  Skal-lal-a-toots  and  always  be 
easy  to  find. 

"Then  a  rattle  must  be  hung  up  in  front  and  the 


A  Medicine  Man. 


■  1  ■ 


180 


TOTEM    TALES. 


rattlers  must  be  magic  rattlers   from    the   medicine 

lodge. 
"Now  when  a  visitor  comes  in  say  to  him,  'See,  I  have 

a  strong  baby  who  is  always  of 
a  smiling  face,  and  laughs  at 
the  sound  of  the  rattle.' 

"The  visitor  will  walk  over  to 
see  the  baby  and  there  hangs 
the  rattle  and  this  he  will 
shake  to  see  if  the  baby  always 
laughs  at  it.  If  the  baby 
laughs  then  the  visitor  has 
good  magic,  but  if  the  baby 
cries,  it  is  because  of  the  evil 
it  looks  upon  in  the  eye  of  the 

stranger,  and  it  is  well  to  get  the  visitor  outside  of 

the  lodge  curtain. 

"That  is  the  way  to  find  the  Evil  Eye, 

T'hoIo,  and  it  can  work  no  spell  as  long 

as  it  is  in  Hie  same  lodge  where  the  baby 

is,  but  be  very  careful  that  you  do  not 

look  upon  tin*  fnce  of  such  a  man  after 

he  leaves  the  lodge,  for  then  the  spell      Medicine  »ag. 

is  on  and  evil  will  come  unless  .you  always  sleep  with 

a  Skal-lal-aye  mask  hung  to  the  lodge  pole  over  your 


Charm  Mas'i. 


A  UAUY  OF  A   SMILING   FACE. 


X81 


J 


MAGIC  OF  THE  EVIL  EYE. 


188 


head,  to  work  the  evil  away  and  keep  it  outside  of  the 
lodge  curtain. 

"There  is  a  charm  to  carry  in  your  medicine  bag  that 
is  a  protection  against  the  magic  of  the  Evil  Eye  too, 
T'solo,  the  wanderer,  but  I  do  not  know  what  this 
charm  is,  and  you  must  give  two  beaverskins  to  the 
Mid-win-nie  man  to  give  it  to  you. 

"So  remember,  T'solo,  wanderer,  do  not  look  on  the 
face  of  a  man  who  has  the  Evil  Eye  if  you  would  walk 
straight  and  never  be  a  pelton  Siawash,  a  crazy  man." 

This  the  Talking  Pine  said  of  the  Evil  Eye,  as  I  sat 
there,  and  when  he  was  finished  1  got  in  the  canim  and 
journeyed  back  to  my  lodge  by  the  Lake  of  the  Moun- 
tains, to  think  heavy  thoughts  about  the  evil  ways 
of  these  things. 


m 


i 
I 

\ 

\y  NCE  there  was  a  fjreat  hunter  who 
was  Touats,"  said  the  Talking  Pine, 
when  I  aslced  him  for  a  story. 

"Now  this  man  Touats  was  a  great 
rogue,  as  well  as  a  great  hunter,  and 
he  did  some  deeds  that  a  good  hunter  should  not  do, 
because  a  good  hunter  loves  the  wild  things,  and  is  of 
a  broad  mind,  and  a  keen  eje,  and  is  a  good  man  to 
the  world.  But  this  man  Touats  was  not  a  good  man, 
for  he  did  not  do  good  deeds. 
"This  is  why: 

"Once  he  traveled  a  long  distance  to  see  the  great 
chief  of  all  the  tribe  of  Hoots,  the  bear,  and  came  to 
his  lodge. 

"Hoots,  the  bear,  was  not  at  home,  but  his  wife  told 
Touats,  the  hunter,  to  come  in  and  wait,  and  soon  the 
bear  would  come  back.    So  Touats  went  in  and  began 

184 


FOUND  HER  WITH  TOUATS  AT  THE  SPRING. 


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TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Q.^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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A. 


.1 
t 


&? 


CONCERNING  A  HUNTER  AND  A  BEAR. 


187 


to  talk  to  the  wife  of  Hoots,  the  bear,  and  made  love 
to  her,  but  she  did  not  like  Touats,  the  hunter,  and 

when  Hoots  came  back  she 
told  him  of  the  way  Touats 
had  talked  to  her. 

"This  made  Hoots  very  an- 
gry and  he  drove  the  hunter 
away.    The  hunter  did  not  go 
very  far,    but   waited   in   the 
The  Grouse.  woods  uutil  he  saw  the  bear 

go  on  a  journey  and  then  he  came  back  to  the  lodge  of 
Hoots  and  again  made  love  to  his  wife. 

"This  time  she  was  not  angry  with  the  hunter,  but 
listened  to  bis  songs  for  a  long  thue, 
and  then  Touats  went  away  before  the 
bear  came  back. 

"When  Hoots  came  back  he  found 
his  wife  very  much  confused  and  afraid 
of  him,  so  he  suspected  that  Touats, 
the  hunter,  had  been  back,  and  told  his 
wife  that  she  no  longer  loved  him,  but^ 
that  she  had  heard  the  songs  of  Touats. 

"This  she  denied,  though  she  knew  it  was  so.  Hoots, 
the  bear,  still  was  not  satisfied  that  she  had  told  him 
the  truth,  a  I'd  watched  her  go  for  wood  and  water  for 


Touats. 


188 


TOTEM    TALES. 


the  lodge,  and  found  that  she  Avas  gone  a  long  time, 
so  he  tied  a  magic  cord  to  her  robe,  and  when  she  did 
not  come  back,  he  followed  this  cord  and  found  her 
Avith  Touats,  the  hunter,  at  a  spring. 
"Now  Hoots  was  very  angry,  and  to  punish  his  wife 


fii'/iiH  '?t 


INDIAN  DRAWING  ON  ROBE  OP  THE  HUNTER  AND  THE  BEAR. 

for  her  bad  ways  he  told  her  he  would  change  her  into 
a  grouse,  and  so  iie  did,  and  now  she  sits  in  the  forest 
and  mourns  all  the  time  because  of  her  bad  deeds. 

"Then  he  said  to  Touats,  the  hunter,  'You  have  stol 
en  my  wife  and  made  my  lodge  fire  cold.    You  are  like 


!,'».^V» 


TOUATS  AND  HOOTS  FOUGHT  A  GREAT  FIGHT.  189 


' 


mmm 


HOOTS,  THE  BEAR— HAIDA  INDIAN  DRAWING,  191 

figures  on  the  paws  «re  Bupposed  tp  represent  tfte  Huijter  «»<J  Bear  Story. 


Iri 


CONCERNING  A  HUNTER  AND  A  BEAR. 


193 


T'set-shin,  the  snake,  who  crawls  in  through  the  back 
of  the  lodge  and  bites  when  your  back  is  turned.  You 
are  not  fit  to  live  where  there  are  men,  and  I  am  going 
to  kill  you.' 

•^•-^o  then  Hoots,  the  bear,  and  Touats,  the  hunter, 
fought  a  great  fight  for  many  days  and  at  the  end 
Touats  was  dead  and  Hoots  was  all  alone." 

And  this  was  the  story  of  the  hunter  and  the  bear 
that  was  told  by  the  Talking  Pine,  and  many  times 
since  that,  I,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  have  seen  the  pic- 
ture writing  of  it  on  many  robes  and  have  read  it  in 
the  carving  on  the  totem  poles  of  the  family  of  the 
bear. 

This  story  is  a  good  story  to  remember,  for  it  shows 
well  that  those  who  do  bad  deeds  are  sure  to  be  pun- 
ished and  be  very  sad  when  it  is  too  late. 


ELL    me,    Wise    One,    how     did     the 
blue  jay,  Ki-ki,  come  on  the  earth?" 
This  I  asked  the   great   Wise   Pine 
when  I  had  put  the  coal  of  fire  on  the 
Chinoos  in  the  pipe,  and  the  smoke 
was  coming  blue. 
"The  tale  of  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay,  is  not  a  tale  of  it- 
self, but  is  the  tale  of  Doak-a-batl,  the  maker,  and  to 
know  of  Ki-ki,  I  must  tell  you  the  other  tale  too,"  an- 
swered the  Pine. 

"Then  tell  the  tale.  Wise  One,  for  my  ears  are  open 
for  the  tale  and  I  would  know  of  these  things." 

"Then  if  you  listen.  Wanderer,  it  is  the  tale  of  Doak- 
a-batl,  this  way: 

"Many,  many  winters  ago,  there  were  not  many  men 
in  the  world,  and  these  men  were  not  like  the  men  we 

194 


DOAK-A-BATL.  THE  MAKER. 


195 


see  now,  for  their  thoughts  were  the  thoughts  of  chil- 
dren and  they  had  not  many  wants. 

"After  a  time  the  great  Tah-mah-na-wis,  who   was 
Doak-a-batl,  the  maker,  came  up   out   of   the   great 
water  where  the  Sun  has  his  lodge,  and  walked  on  the 
land. 
"At  this  time  all  the  people  were  living  in  huts  and 
in  holes  in  the  ground,  and  in  hol- 
low trees,  and  among  rocks  near  a 
great  river  of  crystal  water  which 
was  named  Sko-ko-mish. 

"Doak-a-batl,  the  maker,  came 
by  this  river  and  saw  the  people 
living  this  way,  and  he  said,  'Why 
do  you  live  in  holes?  You  should 
live  in  lodges.' 

"So  then    he   built    a    lodge   of 

poles  and  cedar  bark  and  showed 

the  people  how  to  do  this  to  make 

a  house  to  live  in,  and  they   have 

built  them  that  way  ever  since. 

"Then  Doak-a-batl  walked  along  through  the  woods 

until  he  came  to  a  place  where  some  Klootchmen  were 

catching  salmon  with  their  hands,  and  he  said,  'That  is 

not  a  good  way  to  get  fish.    Here,  I  will  show  you  how.' 


Doak-a-batl. 


196 


TOTEM    TALES. 


So  he  cut  many  willow  polos  and  with  then  he  wove 
a  willow  weir  out  in  the  river  in  a  fashion  that  would 
let  the  fish  in,  but  would  not  let  them  out  again,  and 
in  this  way  everyone  could  get  many  fish,  and  there 
would  be  no  one  hungry  again,  and  so  the  Indian 
women  remembered  what  Doak-a-batl  had  showed 
them,  and  Miey  still  know  how  to  build  the  willow  trap 
for  salmon. 
"When  this  was  done  Doak-a-batl  went  on  and  soon 

saw  some 
men  on  a  ce- 
d  a  r  log, 
floating 
along  in  the 
water,  so  he 
made  them 
come  to  the  land.  Then  he  made  a  fire  in  the 
log,  and  burned  it  out  inside,  and  \u  made  T'shu- 
min,  the  canoe-chopper,  and  showed  them  how  to  cut 
away  the  wood,  and  there  was  a  canoe  made  for  them 
to  travel  in.  That  is  how  the  red  men  found  out  how 
to  make  canoos.  Then  Esick,  the  paddle,  was  made 
and  all  was  ready. 

"Then  Doak-a-batl,  tlie  maker,  went  on  and  came  to 
the  place  which  is  now  a  marsh,  and  which  is  where 


T'shumin,  the  Canoe  Chopper. 


ih 


o 


r 

s 


197 


y 


DOAK-A-BATL.   THE   MAKER. 


199 


the  river  ends  and  the  great  water  is,  and  there   he 
slipped  and  fell. 

"Then  he  cursed  the  land  and  made  the  water  come 
up  and  cover  it,  and  there  was  a  great  marsh  for  a  play- 
ground for  Ena-poo,  the  muskrat,  who  sits  in  the  sun 


A    MEDICINE   MAN   DANCING. 

like  a  little  brown  ball,  and  who  builds  a  lodge  of 
:  dshes  and  mud. 

"When  the  marsh  came  then  Doak-a-batl  put  the 
rushes  and  the  cat-tails  in  it,  and  showed  the  women 
how  to  make  mats  for  the  lodge  floor  out  of  them,  and 


200 


TOTEM    TALES. 


SO  it  was  a  good  deed,  for  it  punished  the  land  and 
made  good  mats  for  men. 

"After  this  was  done  Doak-a-batl  went  on  and  soon 
heard  a  great  noise,  and  went  to  see  what  it  was.  There 
he  found  a  medicine  man  who  was  dancing  a  foolish 
dance,  and  was  singing  *ki!  ki!  ki!' 

"This  medicine  man  had  much  blue  paint  on  and  his 
hair  was  tied  up  so  it  stuck  straight  up  on  his  head, 
and  he  was  not  a  good  sight  to  look  at,  so  Doak-a-batl 
said  to  him,  'Vhat  are  you  doing?' 

"The  medicine 
man  said,  'I  am 
making  medi- 
cine.' 

"Then  Doak- 
a-batl  said,  'You 
are  foolish,  and 
do  not  know  the  ways  of  medicine,  you  are  not  wise 
in  the  ways  of  Tah-mah-na-wis,  and  are  not  tit  to  be 
of  the  Mid-win-nie  clan.  For  this  I  will  change  your 
form.  Go  and  be  a  blue  bird,  Klale-kula-kula,  and  be 
known  to  men  by  your  song,  Ki!  Ki!' 

"So  by  the  magic  of  Doak-a-batl  the  foolish  Tah- 
mah-na-wis  man  was  changed  and  there  was  Ki-ki,  the 
blue  jay,  and  he  was  the  first  one  of  that  kind  of  bird. 


Enapoo,  the  Aluskrat. 


LEFT  THUKE  BIO  TRACKS. 


wsm 


DOAK-A-BATL,  THE  MAKER. 


"That  is  why  the  blue  jay  has  a  crest,  because  the 
hair  is  his  top-knot. 

"Then  Doak-a-batl  journeyed  on  to  the  north  and 
close  by  the  mountains  that  are  by  the  great  water, 
he  stepped  on  a  big  fiat  rock,  and  left  his  tracks,  three 
times,  and  there  you  will  see  it  now,  so  that  if  men 
forget  his  deeds,  they  will  always  remember  them 
again  when  they  see  the  tracks  of  Doak-a-batl  in  the 
rock. 

"From  this  place  nobody  knows  where  he  went,  and 
so  Doak-a-batl  is  gone  from  the  minds  of  men,  and 
thej'  do  not  know  how  he  looks,  and  remember  only 
his  deeds." 

This  was  the  story  of  Doak-a-batl  as  I  listened  to  the 
tale  from  the  Talking  Pine,  there  by  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains,  in  the  land  of  T'set-se-la-litz,  the  country 
of  the  Sundown,  a  long  time  ago. 


I  SI 


..^-:^^^ 


HEN  the  world  was  young  and  dark- 
ness ruled  everything,  a  strange 
thing  happened,"  said  the  Talking 
Pine,  as  I  came  and  sat  down  in  my 
accustomed  place  to  listen  to  the 
tales. 
"And  what  was  this  strange  thing,  Wise  One?"  I 
asked. 

"It  was  this,"  said  the  Talking  Pine,  "this,  the  birth 
of  the  Sun." 

"I  would  hear  the  tale.  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  and 
then  he  told  me  of  this  happening: 

"A  long,  long  time  ago,  the  world  was  in  darkness 
and  people  did  not  have  the  sun  and  moon  in  the  sky 
to  give  them  lijrht.    At  this  time  there  was  an  aged 

204 


samm 


FOUND   HIS    BROTHER   OCCUPYING   HIS    PLACE, 


205 


BIRTH  OF  THE  SUN. 


207 


woman  who  had  a  son,  who  was  a  bright,  cheerful  boy, 
and  was  much  loved  by  his  mother. 

"This  boy  went  to  see  his  grandmother  at  one  time 
and  stayed  with  her  many  days.  When  he  started 
home  again  through  the  forest  he  was  stolen  by  Ka- 
ke-hete,  the  chief  of  the  demons,  and  carried  away 
beyond  the  mountains,  where,  if  any  one  tried  to  fol- 
low, the  mountains  would  close  together  and  crush 
whatever  was  between  them. 

"While  he  was  in  the  country  of  the  demons  the 
boy  learned  much  magic  and  became  a  great  Tah-mah- 
na-wis  man,  and  then  by  his  magic  powers,  found  a 
wav  out  of  the  country  and  back  to  his  own  tribe 


again. 


"Now  when  this  boy  was  stolen,  his  mother  was  very 
sad  and  mourned  for  manj'  days,  because  she  thought 
she  would  never  see  her  son  again,  and  to  comfort 
her  in  her  loneliness,  Spudt-te-dock,  the  protector, 
gave  her  another  son. 

"The  second  son  also  grew  to  be  a  bright  boy,  and 
was  loved  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  loved  most  by  his 
mother. 

"Now  time  went  on,  and  after  many  snows  had 
passed,  the  first  son  came  back  and  found  his  brother 


208 


TOTEM   TALES. 


occupying  his  place  at  home.  Instead  of  welcoming 
his  brother,  the  wanderer  became  angry  at  him,  and 
said  he  would  change  him  into  the  moon,  and  he 
should  be  chief  of  the  night,  while  he  would  use  his 
magic  and  change  himself  into  the  sun  and  rule  the 
day.    This  he  did,  and  the  first  day  began. 

"As  the  older  brother,  who  was  the  sun,  climbed  up 
the  sky,  it  began  to  get  very  hot,  for  he  was  very  an- 
gry and  shone  fierce  and  bright. 

"Soor  the  rivers  dried  up,  the 
grass  and  trees  wilted,  and  the 
people  began  to  die  of  the  heat. 
"When  the  sun  saw  these 
things,  he  saw  that  he  was  too 
strong,  so  he  changed  things 
about  and  made  his  younger  and 
weaker  brother  be  the  sun,  and 
The  Moon  Boy.  ^^^  ^ook  his  brother's  place  as  the 

moon,  and  things  went  along  all  right  as  they  do  to 
this  day. 

"Now  you  can  see  the  man  in  the  moon  on  any  bright 
night,  and  if  you  could  see  hard  enough,  you  could 
see  the  boy  in  the  sun,  but  the  sun  is  too  bright  to  look 
at  and  the  boy  is  not  easy  to  find.  This,  then,  is  how 
the  days  and  nights  started." 


BIRTH  OF  THE  SUN. 


211 


So  said  the  Talking  I»iue,  tliere  by  tlie  Lal;e  of  tlie 
Mountains,  a  long  tinio  ago,  and  he  is  wise  and  knows 
how  all  these  things  come  about. 


LONG  time  ago  the  .world  was  differ- 
ent from  what  it  is  now.  There  was 
no  light,  no  sun,  no  moon  to  shine, 
and  no  stars  to  twinkle  at  night,  no 
big  pine  trees,  and  nothing  was  as  it  is  now.  The  peo- 
ple went  about  in  darkness,  and  did  not  know  what 
light  was. 

"Would  you  like  to  know  how  it  was  all  changed 
about  so  that  we  now  have  a  beautiful  world  to  live  in, 
instead  of  a  barren  one  that  is  all  dark?" 

So  said  the  Talking  Pine  when  I  got  out  of  my  canoe 
and  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  great  tree  by  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains. 

"Yes,  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  "tell  me  how  these 
things  were  changed,  and  how  it  all  happened,  for  I 

S18 


^ 


SPE-OW  AND  THE  SPIDER. 


213 


«* 


would  know  more  of  the  world  and  its  people  who  lived 
before  I  was  born." 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  Great  Tree,  "now  sit  by  my  feet 
and  listen,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  tale  this  way: 

"When  the  world  was  all  in  darkness,  it  was  ruled 
over  by  a  strange  chief,  whose  name  was  Spe-ow,  the 
grandson  of  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay. 

"They  say  that  Spe-ov/  was  once  an  Arctic  fox,  and 
that  Ki-ki,  his  grandmother,  was  not  satisfied  with 
him  that  way,  and  so  changed  him  into  Spe-ow,  who 
was  a  man. 

"Now  Spe-ow  was  a  very  strange  man  to  look  at,  be- 
cause he  was  dHTerent  from  all  other  men.  lie  was  a 
short,  fleshy  man,  with  ears  like  a  fox.  His  eyes  were 
jet  black,  but  were  not  like  our  eyes,  for  they  were 
placed  at  the  end  of  horny  knobs  that  stuck  out  from 
Speow's  brow.  A  lobster  has  eyes  like  the  eyes  of 
Spe-ow. 

"In  his  mouth  were  two  great  tusks  like  the  fangs 
of  a  cougar. 

"Mis  nose  was  shiyp  and  pointed,  and  he  wore  a 
long  white  beard  that  reached  below  his  waist. 

"For  covering  he  wore  a  coat  made  of  the  skins  of 
the  Mountain  Goat,  and  the  four  buttons  on  this  coat 
were  made  of  four  live  blue  jays. 


214 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"I  said  Spe-ow  was  a  small  man,  but  really  he  was 
a  very  big  giant,  only  he  was  a  great  deal  smaller  than 
the  other  giants  who  lived  at  the  same  time  that 
Spe-ow  did. 

"Spe-ow  could  change  himself  into  any  shape  he 
wanted  to,  and  could  change  the  shape  of  other  things 
as  well,  lie  could  cut  himself  to  pieces  and  put  him- 
self together  again,  and  do  many 
other  wonderful  things.  His  body 
could  be  killed  and  skinned,  but  that 
would  not  kill  Spe-ow,  because  of  his 


magic. 


"This,  then,  is  the  strange  man 
who  was  the  chief  of  the  people  when 
the  world  was  all  in  darkness. 

"Now   it   happened    that    Spe-ow 
was  walking  along    one    day    and 
jf   came  to  a  place  where  a    beam   of 
Spe-ow.  light  came  down  from    above,    and 

there  he  saw  a  rope  which  hung  down  from  some- 
where. Then  the  blue  jay  came  along  and  said,  'Let  us 
see  what  this  is.' 

"So  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay,  flew  up  a  little  way  and 
called  to  Spe-ow  to  climb  up  on  the  rope.  Up  climbed 
Spe-ow,  and  up  flew  the  jay,  until  at  last  they  came 


THE  MOON  CHIEF  FOUND  HIM  IN  THE  TRAP.  215 


>» 

ki 


SPB-OW  AND  THE  SPIDER 


217 


to  a  hole  in  the  sky,  and  climbed  out  into  another 
countrj^,  which  was  much  like  this  world  is  now. 

"Spe-ow  did  not  know  what  might  happen  to  him,  or 
whom  he  might  meet  in  such  a  strange  country  as  this 
was,  and  thought  he  had  better  look  around  a  bit. 

"So  he  changed  himself  into  a  beaver  and  went  into 
a  swamp  that  was  close  by,  to  wait  and  see  what  might 
happen. 
"While  he  was  traveling  through  the  swamp  in  the 

shape  of  a  beaver  poor  Spe- 
ow  got  caught  in  a  trap  and 
was  held  fast  until  the  moon 
chief,  who  is  S'noqualm,  came 
and  found  him. 

"Now  S'noqualm  thought 
he  had  caught  a  nice,  fat  bea- 
ver when  he  found  Spe-ow, 
so  he  took  his  club  and  killed 
Spe-ow's  beaver  body,  and  took  it  to  his  lodge,  where 
he  skinned  it,  and  stretched  the  hide  over  a  bent  wil- 
low stick  to  dry,  and  hung  the  body  up  in  his  lodge  to 
wait  until  he  should  want  some  beaver  soup. 

"Though  his  beaver  body  was  dead,  Spe-ow  was  still 
alive,  and  he  thought  he  would  wait  and  see  what  the 
moon  chief  would  do  next. 


Kl-kl,  the  Blue  Jay. 


I 


218 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"While  Spe-ow  waited,  the  chief  of  the  spiders  came 

into  the  lodge  of  S'noqualm  and  by  their  talk  Spe-ow 

found  that  it  was  he  who  had  lowered  the  rope  down 

from  the  sky  to  the  earth,  where  Spe-ow  found  it. 

"By  and  by  S'noqualm  and  the  spider  went  out  of 

the  lodge  and  S'noqualm 
soon  came  back  carrying 
the  Sun,  the  stars,  and  the 
box  that  held  the  daylight. 
These  he  put  on  a  shelf 
and  again  went  out.  Spe- 
ow  thought  that  was  a  good 
chance  to  make  his  world 
bright,  so  ht  made  himself 
come  to   life    again,    and 


changed    himself   back    to 

his  proper  shape.  Then  he 

took  the  Sun  and  put  it  un- 

spe-ow  threw  up  the  Sun.        ^ev  his  arm.    The  stars  he 

put  under  the  other  arm,  and  took  the  box  that  was 

full  of  daylight  in  his  hands. 

"Then  he  ran  for  the  hole  in  the  sky,  calling  to  his 
grandmother,  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay,  to  follow  him.  On  the 
way  he  pulled  up  three  great  pine  trees,  which  by  his 
magic  he  made  small  like  little  bushes.  With  all  these 


SPE-OW  AND  THE  SPIDER. 


219 


things  he  started  down  the  rope  with  Ki-ki,  but  he  was 
in  such  a  great  hurry  that  he  dropped  the  stars  and 
they  scattered  all  about  and  stuck  to  the  sky,  and 
there  you  will  see  them  to-night. 

"Spe-ow  reached  the  ground  safely  with  the  other 
things,  and  at  once  opened  the 
daylight  box  and  threw  the  Sun 
up  in  the  air,  and  there  was  the 
first  day  on  earth. 

"Then  he  started  the  pine 
trees  to  growing,  and  soon  they 
covered  the  whole  land  like  they 
do  in  that  country  now. 

"When  S'noqualm  found  that 
some  one  had  stolen  the  Sun,  and 
the  stars,  he  was  very  angry,  and 
went  to  the  hole  in  the  sky  and 
looked  down.  There  he  saw  Spe- 
ow  at  work  planting  the  trees, 
and  saw  the  Sun  high  up  in  the  air,  where  Spe-ow. had 
thrown  it,  so  he  started  to  climb  down  and  get  them 
back  again. 

"He  only  climbed  a  little  way  when  the  rope  broke 
and  S'noqualm  fell  down  to  the  ground,  and  Spe-ow, 
by  his  magic,  changed  S'noqualm  and  the  rope  into 


S'noqualm  fell  to  the  Ground. 


TOTEM    TALES. 


stone,  and  you  can  see  them  there  to-day,  not  far  from 
the  mountains,  and  in  the  great  pile  of  rocks  is  a  face 
that  is  the  face  of  S'noqualra,  the  moon  chief. 

"Now  the  moon  chief,  being  dead,  made  the  sky 
dark,  and  there  was  no  moon  any  more  until  the  great 

Tah-mah-na-wis  saw  that  it  was 
missing  and  changed  the  daughter 
of  a  wicked  old  SkalMal-a-toot  into 
the  moon  and  put  her  in  the  sky 
country.  She  is  still  there  to  make 
the  night  light. 

"When  the  spider  chief  found  that 
his  rope  was  broken  and  gone,  he 
called  his  tribe  of  ;3piders  together, 
and  let  them  down  to  look  for  his 
lost  rope.  You  can  see  the  spider 
people  even  now  on  warm  summer 
days  sailing  along  on  their  little 
ropes  that  break  loose  from  the  sky 
and  let  them  fall,  too. 
"They  can  never  find  the  chief  spider's  rope,  because 
it  was  turned  to  stone  by  the  magic  of  Spe-ow. 

"When  Spe-ow  got  evcything  to  suit  him  he  threw 
the  Sun  up  into  the  air  every  day,  and  it  fell  in  the 
great  water  every  night.    Then  Spe-ow  Avould  shut  the 


S'noqualm. 


SPE-OW  AND  THE  SPIDER. 


221 


daylight  box  and  make  night,  so  no  one  could  see  him, 
and  go  and  bring  the  Sun  back. 

"When  he  got  back  he  would  open  the  daylight  box 
to  make  it  morning  again,  and  throw  the  Sun  up  in  the 
air. 

"This  he  does  to  this  day. 

"Now  Spe-ow  throws  the  Sun  just  the  same  distance 
every  day,  but  in  the  winter,  wiien  the  rains  are  heavy 
and  the  snow  deep  in.  the  moun- 
tains, the  rivers  are  flooded  and  it 
takes  Spe-ow  longer  to  travel  from 
his  lodge  to  get  the  Sun,  so  the 
nights  are  long  in  the  winter. 

"People  don't  care  for  this,  be- 
cause they  can't  work  so  well  in 
the  winter  anyhow,   and   like   to^ 
sleep  more. 

"In  the  summer  time  the  weath-       '^''^  "^^^^  ^p"'"- 
er  is  warm  and  Spe-ow  don't  have  so  much  trouble  in 
traveling,  so  he  gets  back  to  open  the  daylight  box 
sooner  and  the  days  are  a  good  deal  longer,  so  people 
can  do  more  work  then. 

"Only  once  has  Spe-ow  ever  been  seen  by  men,  and 
that  was  many  years  ago. 

"A  party  of  Indians  were  camping   on   Ca-mah-no 


222 


TOTEM    TALES. 


island  one  time,  and  Spe-ow  came  upon  the  bluff  above 
them.  He  was  covered  with  a  curious  light  like  you 
see  in  rotten  wood  sometimes,  and  when  the  Indians 
saw  him  he  was  so  angry  that  he  kicked  half  of  the 
island  over  on  the  Indian  camp  and  buried  it,  and  so 
only  one  man  escaped,  and  he  told  the  story  of  how 
Spe-ow  looked. 

"Now    all     Indians 

who  pass  by  the  place 

in  their  canoes  mourn 

^    and  cry  for  the   dead 

^^-^  ones,   who    lie    under 

the  water  there. 

"This,  then,    is    the 
story  of   Spe-ow,   who 
lives   over   across   the 
mountains  and  is  keep- 
er of  the  Sun." 
So  said  the  Wise  One,  the  great  Talking  Pine,  who 
lives  by  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  in  the  land  of 
T'set-se-la-litz,  the  country  of  the  sundown. 


Spe-ow  kicked  the  Bluff  over. 


HEN  I  sat  by  the  feet  of  the  Talking 
Pine  the  next  time,  the  sun  was 
just  falling  down  behind  the  great 
waters,  and  there  were  long  shad- 
ows on  the  Lake  of  the  Moun- 
tains. The  water  was  red,  like  the  blood  that  comes 
from  the  throat  of  a  killed  deer,  and  there  was  yellow 
on  the  water,  too,  yellow  like  Pil-chickamin,  the  gold 
that  Squintuni,  the  white  man,  always  seeks. 

There  was  blue  in  the  shadow  of  the  pines  and  blue 
in  the  sky  where  the  night  was  coming;  but  the  moun- 
tain, Takomah,  the  one  that  feeds,  was  white  and  cold 
over  the  head  of  the  pines,  all  vvhite  and  blue,  and  very 
cold,  save  the  top,  and  this  was  red,  the  red  of  the  sal- 
mon berry,  the  red  that  a  great  fire  paints  on  the  sky 
at  night. 
It  was  a  good  sight,  and  I  watched  it  tUere,  so  high 


224 


TOTEM    TALES. 


and  grand,  and  all  alune  above  all  the  little  mountains 
that  reach  only  to  the  snow. 

As  I  sat  there  my  thoughts  went  far  away  to  other 
lands,  and  other  mountains,  and  my  body  sat  still. 
Then  the  Talking  Pine  spoke,  and  then  spoke  again  be- 
fore I  heard  him,  and  this  was  his  speech: 

"Know  you,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  the  tale  of  the 
great  white  mountain  yonder,  Takomah,  the  white  one 
that  feeds,  the  great  chief  of  the  tribe  of  the  moun- 
tains?" His  voice  was  far  away,  like  a  voice  in  the 
sleep  country,  where  one  goes  at  night,  sometimes, 
when  his  body  is  asleep  on  the  mats  in  the  lodge. 

"No,Wise  One,"  I  answered,  "I  do  not  know  the  tale 
of  the  great  white  one  yonder,  but  I  see  him,  once  there 
with  his  feet  on  all  the  tribe  of  the  mountains  and  his 
head  so  high  that  the  olouds  can  only  climb  half  wav. 
and  again  I  see  lun*  in  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains, 
standing  on  his  heud  like  the  pines  that  are  painted 
there  by  the  water  Skall-lal-a-toots.  Tell  me  this  tale 
of  Takomah,  Wise  One,  while  I  listen  and  we  smell 
the  smell  of  Chinoos  burning  in  the  pipe." 

"Now-itka,  oke-oke  klosh;  yes,  that  is  good,"  said 
the  Great  Pine,  and  then  he  began  the  tale  this  way: 

"This  tale  is  a  tale  of  warning,  T'solo,  and  it  tells 
that  it  is  better  to  take  what  we  have  without  grum- 


o 

d 

H 


> 

o 


",<Hi.""»i.>lW!il' 


■ 


" 


TA-KO-MAH.  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


227 


bling,  and  so  have  a  good  heart,  than  to  want  that 
which  we  have  not,  and  so  not  sleep  well  at  night  for 
our  thoughts. 

"It  is  the  tale  of  the  old  man  who  wished  much  Hia- 
qua,  the  shell  money,  and  so  was  taught  a  great  les- 
son by  Tah-mah-na-wis.    This  is  the  way: 

"Very  many  summers  ago,  when  my  grand- 
father's grandfather  was  only  so  big  as  a  little 
flower  busli,  there  lived  here  by  the  foot  of 
Takomah  an  old  man,  a  great  hunter  and  fish- 
erman, and  one  who  thought  the  shell  money, 
Hia-qua,  the  best  of  all  things,  and  this  he 
wanted. 

"Always  the  old  man  thought  how  to   get 
more  Ilia-qua,  and  in  this  he  was  like  the  white 
1 1    man,  Squintum,  who  lives  across  the    moun- 
Hia-qua.  tains. 

"Always  this  man  talked  to  Tah-mah-na-wis,  and  al- 
ways he  said  the  same  thing,  'Where  can  I  get  Uia- 
qua?' 

"Tah-mah-na-wis  is  wise  and  knows  it  is  not  well 
for  men  to  have  a  great  deal  of  money;  no  matter  if  it 
is  the  red  man  and  his  Hia-ciua,  or  if  it  is  Squiutum 
and  his  gold,  it  is  the  same,  and  it  makes  men  hungry 
for  evil  deeds,  so  the  great  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis 


>'i 


22S 


TOTEM   TALES. 


did  not  give  to  this  old  inau  the  magic  that  would 
bring  Ilia-qna,  for  he  knew  ninch  llia-qua  would  let 
Ka-ke-hete,  the  chief  of  demons,  into  the  man's  mind 

"The  old  man  sat  and  looked  at  Takomah  as  y(/'  '  • 
at  it  now,  and  it  was  white  and  cold,  and  it  seeuitMl  to 
know  of  how  this  man's  great  greed  for  Ilia-qua  made 
him  take  even  the  lip  and  nose  jewels  of  polished  Ilia- 
qua  from  starving  women  when  meat  was  scarce,  and 
give  them  tough  and  dry  scraps  of  Moos-moos,  the  elk, 
in  return. 

"Now  the  Tah-mah-na-wis  of  this  old  man  was  Moos- 
moos,  the  elk,  and  one  day  as  he  hunted  on  the  side  of 
the  white  one,  Takomah,  the  old  man  got  very  tired 
and  sat  down  to  rest,  and  as  he  sat  there  without  any 
thoughts  but  rest,  he  heard  the  voice  of  his  Tah-mul?- 
na-wis.  Moos-moos,  the  elk,  and  it  whispered  magic  in 
his  ear. 

"This  magic  told  him  where  to  find  much  Ilia-qua, 
so  much  that  he  could  be  the  richest  of  all  men  and  be 
a  Ilyas-Tyee,  a  great  chief. 

"This  place  was  on  the  top  of  Takomah,  the  white 
one  that  feeds. 

"When  this  man  knew  of  the  place  he  w'^'  li  back  to 
his  lodge  and  said  to  his  wife,  'I  am  goiu^  (.n  a  long 
hunt,'  and  then  he  went  away  at  the  coonng  of  night. 


TA-KO-MAH.  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


229 


"The  next  night  he  made  his  bed  just  below  the  snow 
of  the  niGiiutain,  and  when  the  sun  came  up  it  found 
him  on  the  top. 

"He  looked  down  and  there  he  saw  a  great  valley 


HE  Wt;\T  AWAY  AT  THE  COMING  OP  NIGHT. 

in  the  top  of  Takomah  and  all  was  white  with  snow 
but  one  place  in  the  middle. 

"This  place  was  a  deep  hole  in  the  black  rocks  and 
in  the  bottom  of  it  was  a  lake  of  black  water. 

"At  one  end  of  the  lake  were  three  large  rocks,  and 


y 


230 


TOTEM    TALES. 


.■i^ 


they  were  Tab-mah-na-wis  rocks,  for  one  was  shaped 
lik»'  V  ^-a^mon's  head,  the  next  Was  like  a  Kamas  root, 
and  1         st  was  like  the  head  of  his  own  totem.  Moos- 
moos,  tile  elk. 
"Now  when  he  saw  this,  he  knew  where  the  Hia-qua 


THE    BLACK    LAKE    AND    THE    TAH-MAH-NA-WIS    ROCKS. 

was,  so  he  took  his  pick  of  elkhorn  and  began  to  dig 
at  the  foot  of  the  rock  that  was  like  the  head  of  Moos- 
moos. 

"When  the  pick  made  a  sound  against  the  rock  the 
first  time  he  struck  with  it,  many  otters  came  out  of 


I 


mmm 


TA-KO-MAH.  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


231 


the  black  lake  and  sat  in  a  circle,  and  he  counted  as 
many  as  the  lingers  of  both  hands  and  three  more. 

"The  otters  watched  hira,  and  at  the  blow  of  the  pick 
that  counted  their  number,  all  the  otters  struck  the 
ground  at  the  same  time  with  their  tails. 

"This  the  man  did  not  pay  any  attention  to,  but 
worked  on,  and  when  the  sun  was  just  falling  into  the 
great  water,  he  turned  over  a  piece  of  rock  and  there  lay 

many      strings 
of  Hia-qua. 

"There  were 
many,  many 
strings,  so 
many  that  he 
could  not  reach 
the  bottom 
with  his  arm. 
"lie  would  be  a  rich  man  and  a  great  Tyee,  because 
no  one  else  had  so  much  Ilia-qua  as  chis. 

"The  otters  moved  back,  knowing  ho  was  a  child  of 
the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis. 

"When  he  had  looked  long  on  the  Hia-qua  and  he 
was  sure  he  had  all  this  for  his  own,  then  he  put  the 
strings  over  his  shoulder,  one  after  another,  until  he 


The  Elkhorn  Pick. 


1 


232 


TOTEM   TALES. 


could  not  walk  with  luoro.  ami  started  to  climb  back 
aud  go  to  his  lodge. 

"Not  one  string  did  he  hang  on  the  Tah-mah-na-wis 
of  the  Salmon,  or  of  the  Kamas,  or  the  Elk,  not  one, 
but  started  away. 


HE  STARTED  TO  CLIMD  OUT. 

"The  otters  plunged  back  into  the  black  lake  again 
and  began  to  make  the  water  foam  and  roar,  and  this 
they  did  until  a  great  storm  came  and  Tootah,  the 
Thunder,  came,  and  Skamson,  the  Thunderbird. 

"Now  everybody  knows  that  Colesnass  makes  hard 


Bmmtmam^maim 


THE  WIND  THREW  HIM  OVER  THE  ROCKS.  233 


I   i 


TA-KO-MAH.  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


235 


snows  in  the  mountains,  but  tliis  time  Huli-lui-le  Tali- 
mah-na-wis  was  angry  with  the  man  who  loved  llia- 
qua,  and  so  he  helped  Colesnass  and  Tootah  to  make 
a  very  hard  storm  and  he  called  to  the  wind  to  come. 

"The  wind  came  and  danced  around  and  around,  and 
took  the  man  and  threw  him  over  the  rocks  and  the 
snow,  but  he  still  held  to  his  llia-qua  and  would  not 
let  it  go. 

"Too-tah,  the  thunder,  roared,  and  the  wind  made 
things  black  and  made  much  noise,  and  there  was  an- 
other noise,  that  was  the  great  anger  of  the  Tah-mah- 
na-Avis,  and  then  came  the  voice  of  Ka-ke-hete,  the 
demon,  and  the  small  voices  of  all  his  tribe. 

"All  these  things  said  Ilia-qua!  Ilia-qua!  and  they 
laughed  at  the  old  man  and  made  him  afraid,  but  he 
still  held  to  his  treasure,  and  tried  to  go  on. 

"The  air  grew  darker  and  very  hot,  and  much  smoke 
came  and  water  ran  down  the  mountain.  The  wind 
danced  and  threw  the  old  man  about  over  the  rocks 
and  the  snow  banks,  and  the  tribe  of  Ka-ke-hete 
laughed  and  yelled  Tlia-qua!  ITia-qua!  Hia-qua! 

"Then  the  old  man  lost  his  way  and  did  not  know 
which  path  to  take  to  go  to  his  own  lodge. 

"Now  this  man  thought  to  make  the  anger  of  the 


236 


TOTEM    TALES. 


Sah-lia-le  Tah-mali-iia-wis  to  go  away,  so  he  dropped 
one  string  of  his  llia-qua. 

"Just  think,  T'soh),  wanderer,  so  small  was  this  old 
man's  mind  that  he  only  gave  one  string  of  all  his 
treasures  to  the  great  Sal-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis! 

"The  storm  grew  harder  and  the  air  was  hot  like  the 
breath  of  the  fire,  and  all  the  tribe  of  the  demons 
laughed  louder,  and  great  noises  came  on  the  wind, 
and  everytliing  said  llia-qua!  llia-qua!  Ilia-qua! 

"String  by  string  the  old  man  tlirew  away  his  shell 
mono}'  until  the  last  was  gone,  when  he  lay  down  and 
went  to  the  sleep  country. 

"It  seemed  a  long  sleep,  but  in  time  he  woke  up  and 
found  he  was  on  the  spot  where  he  had  camped  the 
night  before  he  climbed  to  the  top  of  Takomah. 

"lie  was  very  hungry  and  so  dug  some  Kamas  roots 
and  ate  them,  and  then  he  smoked  and  had  many 
thoughts. 

"As  he  sat  there  smoking  he  was  huloimie,  different, 
from  the  man  who  climbed  the  great  mountain.  He 
was  not  cut  on  the  rocks  where  the  wind  had  thrown 
liim,  and  he  was  not  sore  like  a  man  who  has  fallen 
down  many  times,  only  stifl',  and  when  he  moved,  his 
joints  made  a  noise  like  a  lazy  paddle  on  the  edge  of 
the  canoe. 


TA-KO-MAH.  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


237 


"J  lis  hair  was  long-  and  wliito  autl  was  like  the  wil- 
low roots  that  tang;le  together  in  the  wet  sand. 

"Tah-mah-na-wis,  thought  the  old  man.  Now  he 
looked  along  the  side  of  the  great  white  mountain  and 
it  was  changed  too.    New  rocks  were  there  that  he  had 


SMOKED  AND  HAD  MANY  THOUGHTS. 

never  seen  before,  and  in  places  where  many  trees  had 
been  there  was  only  clean,  white  snow  now. 

"Rut  most  of  all,  he  was  much  changed  in  his 
thoughts  and  was  restful  in  his  mind,  for  he  no  longer 
wanted  Eia-qua,  and  riches  had  no  charm  for  him. 


238 


TOTEM    TALES. 


"Takoiiah,  tli?  great  white  one,  looked  down  on  him 
and  was  like  a  brother,  and  all  the  world  was 
glad. 

"He  had  never  wakened  on  a  morning  that  was 
calmer,  and  never  had  Takomah  shone  so  bright  and 
with  so  many  colors. 

"He  put  away  his  pipe  and  traveled  down  the  ^  ^e 
of  Takomah,  but  all  was  new  and  strange  to  hii  v 
all  was  changed. 

"When  the  sun  painted  the  top  of  Takomah  as  it 
paints  it  now,  he  came  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and 
there  was  his  own  lodge,  and  before  the  lodge  curtain 
sat  an  old  woman  who  was  singing  a  low-toned  chant, 
and  when  he  looked  close,  he  saw  that  this  old  woman 
was  his  wife. 

"She  told  him  he  had  been  gone  many  moons,  she 
did  not  know  how  many,  and  all  this  time  she  had 
traded  Kamas  root  and  totem  plants  and  now  she  had 
much  Ilia-qua. 

"This  old  man's  mind  was  not  for  Hia-qua  now,  and 
he  was  glad  to  be  at  his  own  lodge  and  at  peace. 

"He  gave  whatever  he  had,  Flia-qua  and  good  words 
alike  to  all,  and  the  men  of  all  tribes  came  to  him  for 
his  counsel,  how  to  spear  salmon,  how  to  catch  game, 
or  how  to  counsel  best  w^itb  Tah-mab-na-wis, 


'••^--■immm 


TA-KO-MAH,  THE  MOUNTAIN. 


88» 


"So  from  this  tliinj;  the  old  man  became  a  wise  meili- 
cine  man,  and  was  much  loved  by  all  for  his  wisdom 
and  good  deeds,  because  of  his  trip  to  Takomah. 

"Then  there  came  a  time  when  he  journej^ed  to 
Stickeen,  the  land  of  the  shadows,  and  his  body  sat  by 


AN   OLD   WOMAN   BY  THE   LODGE   DOOR. 

the  lodge  fire  alone,  and  so  ended  the  old  man  who  once 
loved  Hia-qua  more  than  life." 

"It  is  a  good  tale.  Wise  One,"  I  answered,  "and  well 
to  know,  for  it  shows  that  wisdom  is  better  than  all 
the  gold  of  Squintum,  the  white  man,  who  lives  across 


■1 


240 


TOTEM   TALES. 


'i: 


the  mountains,  and  who  tears  up  the  trees  and  the 
grass  and  builds  many  great  stone  lodges  all  at  one 
piiioe,  that  he  may  make  Mah-kook,  and  by  this  trading 
get  much  gold.  And  now  I  leave  you,  Wise  One,  for 
the  stars  say  there  is  not  much  time  left  for  sleep." 


T  Vt'as  u  uiglit  to  sit  still  and  smoke, 
aud  not  to  talk  mucli. 
The  Lake  of  the  Mountains  was 
talking  a  little  talk  to  the  sand  and  whispering  to  the 
willows  that  hung  down  and  dabbled  in  its  waters  and 
over  the  water  the  faint  song  of  the  Skall-lal-a-toots 
came,  for  they  were  playing  among  the  tall  brown 
water  grass  that  grew  at  the  end  of  the  lake  where 
Eua-poo,  the  iiiuskrat,  builds  his  lodge. 

T'zum  chuck  kula-kula,  the  spotted  water  bird,  dived 
ar"k.  fishes,  and  every  tii  le  he  got  one  he  came  to  the 
top  of  the  water  and  1;  iighed  like  a  man  who  is  crazy, 
pelton,  you  know.  This  bird  is  a  Loon,  in  the  talk  of 
Squintum,  the  white  man,  who  lives  across  the  moun- 
tains, and  it  is  a  strange  bird,  for  ft  can  sink  down  in 
the  water  and  no  man  can  see  it  come  up  again;  it  is 
of  the  tribe  of  Ka-ke  heto,  and  is  a  demon. 

241 


242 


TOTEM   TALES. 


For  a  long  time  I  sat  by  the  foot  of  the  Talking  Pine, 
and  smoked  but  did  not  speak,  then  the  Wise  One  said, 
"What  are  j'our  thoughts,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  that 
yon  sit  down  like  Wah-wah-hoo,  the  frog,  and  say  no 
word?" 

"I  have  thoughts  of  the  carving  that  I  saw  once  on 
a  journey'.  Wise  One,  the  carving  of  the  Bear  Mother." 
"Do  you  know  the  tale,  T'solo?" 
"No,  Wise  One,  I  have  only  looked  on  the  carving, 

but  from  this 
sight  I  know 
the  tale  is  a 
good  tale.  Do 
you  know  the 
story,  Ka-ki-i- 
sil-mah,  wisest 
of  Pines?" 
"Yes,  I  know  the  tale." 

"Then  speak.  Wise  One,  and  my  ears  are  open." 
"Tt  is  the  story  of  the  Bear  Mother,  this  way,  T'solo: 
"There  was  once  a  woman  who  was  the  daughter  of 
a  groat  chief,  and  who  was  very  proud. 

"One  time  in  the  moon  when  little  birds  learn  to  fly, 
this  woman  wont  with  many  other  women  of  the  tribe 
of  T'hlingits,  to  gather  shot-a-lilies,  the  huckleberries 


The  Spotted  Water  Bird. 


INDIAN  CARVING  OF  THE  DEAR  MOTHER. 


248 


THE  BEAR  MOTHER. 


246 


that  grow  in  the  woods,  and  which  the  Indians  pat 
into  cakes  and  dry  for  the  time  of  Colesnass,  the 
winter. 

"Hoots,  the  brown  bear,  came  to  2"ather  berries,  too, 
and  the  women  all  made  fun  of  him,  because  of   his 


THE  WOMEN  MADE  PUN  OP  HOOTS. 

heavy  shape,  and  his  slow  ways,  and  the  chiefs  daugh- 
ter made  more  fun  than  any. 

"Now  Hoots,  the  bear,  got  very  angry  and  killed  all 
of  the  women  except  the  chiefs  daughter,  and  her  he 
carried  aw  .ly  to  his  lodge  and  made  her  his  wife. 


246 


TOTEM   TALES. 


"For  a  long  time  Hoots,  the  bear,  kept  the  chiefs 
daughter  in  his  lodge,  and  she  came  to  be  like  the 
bears,  too,  then  a  baby  was  born,  and  this  baby  grew 
to  be  the  head  chief  of  all  the  tribe  of  Hoots,  the 
brown  bear. 

"Then  a  party  of  the  tribe  of  Thlingits  came  through 
the  woods  hunting  for  meat,  and  killed  Hoots,  the 
bear,  whose  eyes  were  old,  and  they  were  going  to 
kill  his  wife,  but  she  called  out  to  them,  and  they  saw 
that  she  was  not  a  bear,  but  a  woman,  and  they  took 
her  back  to  their  lodges. 

"In  time  she  told  ^he  tale  and  so  everyone  came  to 
know  it,  and  it  was  cut  in  the  totem  poles,  and  carv- 
ings were  made  that  are  carvings  of  the  Bear  Mother 
and  the  baby  that  was  half  man  and  half  bear. 

"When  she  came  back  to  the  tribe  of  the  T'hlingits, 
the  woman  married  a  man  of  the  tribe,  and  they  took 
the  bear  for  their  totem,  and  so  from  them  came  all 
the  people  that  have  the  bear  for  their  totem  now. 

"So  this  is  the  story  of  the  Bear  Mother  that  you 
saw  in  the  carving  there  on  your  journey,  T'solo,  the 
wanderer. 

"Now  it  is  time  for  men  to  sleep,  T'solo,  and  you 
must  be  in  your  lodge  if  you  will  see  the  sun  come 
over  the  mountains  in  the  morning." 


HOOTS  CARRIED  AWAY  THE  CHIEF'S  DAUGHTER.  247 


O 

a 
o 

o 

H 
09 


M 
U 


THE  BEAR  MOTHER. 


261 


So  I  left  the  Talking  Pine  and  journeyed  to  my  lodge 
across  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and  on  the  way  I 
saw  T'sing,  the  beaver,  who  struck  the  water  twice 
with  his  tail  to  tell  his  tribe  that  a  canoe  was  on  the 
water,  and  then  he  sunk  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  and  ran  to  his  lodge  among  the  rushes  and  the 
white  water  flowers. 


w 


(In  the  Chinook  Language.) 

lAH  Ahn-n-n-cutty,  mitlite  Yelth, 
yahka  klale  kula-kula.  Okeoke  sia- 
wash  mamuke  konaway  ictas  sia- 
wash  tieka,  pe  konce  iskum  konaway  siawash  mamuke, 
yahka  klatawah  spose  klap  cahr  konaway  siawash  mit- 
lite skookum  illahee. 

Hoots  tumtum  klosh,  pe  eomtox  cahr  hiyu  skookum 
muckamuck  ictas  mitlite. 

Copo  Yelth  klatawah  yahka  tenas  kula-kula,  pe 
konce  mesika  klatawah  siah,  yahka  tenas  kula-kula 
nanage  cahr  yahka  Hoots  mamuke  copo  illahee  pe 
wawa  copo  Yelth,  'Cahr  mitlite  yahka  Hoots,  yowah 
skookum  illahee  pe  skookum  muckamuck,'  pe  Yelth 
closh  nanage  copo  (»keoko  illahee.  Okeoke  skookum 
illahee,  pe  yowah  Yolth  lolo  ict  siawash.    Konce  chaco 

252 


HOOTS   KNOWS  WHERE3   GOOD   BATING   IS. 


253 


r.iTia'wfgaww'*!''"**"' ' "i-"""-  >"" 


^i^:,^mm 


mmm 


YELTH  AND  THE  BUTTERFLY. 


255 


copo  ict  ill.aheo  kwonesum  kabk-ivab,  yowah  lolo  ict 
siawasli,  pe  wake  lalie  halo  siawash  mit.lite  copo  cultas 
illahoe. 

"Okeoke  ict  ictas  Yelth  mamukp  siah  ahn-n-n-cutty, 
pe  yalika  bias  skookuni  Tab-mah-na-wis  kula-kula, 
iiab?" 


TKANSLATION  OF  YELTH  AND  THE 
BUTTEUFLY.* 


Long  ago  lived  Yelth,  the  black  bird. 

Ho  made  (or  jjjot)  all  things  that  Indians  want,  and 
when  he  got  all  men  made,  he  traveled  (supposing) 
to  find  where  all  Indians  could  live  (in  a)  good 
country. 

Hoots  (the  brown  bear)  knows  (or  has)  good 
thoughts  and  knows  where  good  eating  is. 

With  Yelth  traveled  the  little  butterfly,  and  when 
they  (had)  traveled  far  the  butterfly  saw  where  Hoots 
(the  bear),  (had)  dug  in  the  ground,  and  he  said   to 


*To  read  the  translation  verbatim  as  nearly  as  it  is  possible  to  Q^t* 
press  it  in  EngUsb,  leave  out  tbe  words  enclosed  in  pareDtbesiPi 


ir 


!» 


SS! 


T 


is« 


TOTEM   TALES. 


Yelth,  "Where  lives  Hoots,  ther^  (is)  good  land  and 
good  eating"  and  Yeltli  looked  well  on  this  land. 
That  was  (a)  good  lard  and  there  Yelth  carried  one 
Siawash  (tribe).  Wnen  (the}')  came  to  one  (more) 
land  like  this,  then?  he   (Yelth)    carried   one    (more) 


THEY  SEARCHED  FOR  HOMES  FOR  THE  TRIBES  OP  MEN. 

Siawash  (tribe)  and  soon  no  Siawash-(es)  lived  in  bad 
countries. 

This  (is)  one  thing  (that)  Yelth  did  (a)  long,  long 
time  ago,  and  he  (is  a)  good  magic  (working)  bird. 

Don't  you  think  so? 


1       \  IV^A^  ^  ^  ^^^  ^"  "'-^  lodge  by  the  Lake  of 
>«^i       ^l^p  Moimtaius  the  wind  called  to 

me  as  it  hurried  by  and  said  this 
message  from  the  Talking  Pine: 
"Come  to-night,  T'solo,  the  wan- 
derer, when  the  face  of  Sno-qualm  shows  over  the  snow 
of  the  moimtnins,  for  there  is  to  be  a  Klale  Tah-mah- 
na-wis,  and  it  is  to  be  here  by  my  feet.  . 

"It  is  a  good  sight  and  may  not  be  seen  again  in  the 
time  of  men,  for  Sqnintum,  the  white  man,  says  the 
Klale  Tah-mah-na-wis  must  stop,  and  Squintum  is  as 
the  grass  blades  for  numbers,  while  the  red  man  is 
Aveaker  each  year,  like  a  willow  that  can  get  no  water." 
So  said  the  Talking  Pine  by  message  brought  by  the 
wind. 
I  sat  and  thought  on  this  while  the  Chinoos  burned, 

S87 


258 


TOTEM   TALES. 


and  when  there  was  no  more,  I  called  to  the  wind  and 
gave  him  this  message  for  my  friend,  the  Wise  One: 

"Say  to  Ka-ki-i-sil-mah,  the  Wise  One,  who  stands 
alone;  say  that  T'solo,  the 
wanderer,  will  come  to- 
night when  the  face  of  Sno- 
(jualai  makes  liglit  on  the 
snow  of  the  mountains,  and 


we  will  see  the  sight  of  the 


Tah-mah-na-wls  Wolf  Mask. 


Klale  Tah-nuili-na-wis.     It 
is  well,  and  now  the  grass  dies  for  want  of  light,  be- 
cause of  your  shadow  on  it." 

So  then  the  wind  went  away  and  I  waited  for  the 
face  of  Sno-qualm  to  come  over  the  mountains. 

When  the  little  night  bird* 
without  feat  tiers  began  to  fly 
after  bugs  and  Polikely  Kula- 
kula  began  to  call  for  his 
wife  from  the  limb  of  the 
dead  pine,  I  got  in  the  canoe 
and  journeyed  to  where    my 

Tah-mah-na-wls  Wolf  Mask.  fl'iiMul    slailds 

"You  are  in  giKxl  time,"  said  the  Wise  One,  "for   I 

hear  the  sound  of  many  paddles  and  soon  the  red  men 

•The  Bat, 


a 

Pi 
r 
> 
r 
a 

H 

> 
X 

I 

I 

> 

•3 

>■ 

n 
a 


an 


1 


KLALE-TAH-MAH-NA-WIS. 


261 


will  build  the  dancing  fire,  and  we  will  see  the  magic 
dance,  the  Klale  Tah-niah-na-wis,  that  is  part  a  secret 
that  nobody  knows  but  the  red  men  who  are  of  the 
black  magic  totem." 

And  so  I  sat  and  waited  until  the  red  men  came. 

Soon  many  canoes  were  drawn  up  on  the  sand  and 
many  men  came  around  in  the  open  place  by  the  teet 
of  my  friend,  the  Wise  One. 

A  fire  was  made  and  the  smoke  went  up  and  hid  the 
top  of  the  Talking  Pine  with  its  blackness  and  the 
night  was  bright  with  firelight.  Then  many  men  sat 
where  the  light  would  shine  on  them  and  some  went 
out  in  the  darkness,  and  from  these  we  soon  heard  a 
chant. 

"That  is  the  song  of  Klale  Tah-mah-na-wis,  the  Black 
Magic,"  said  tlie  Wise  One,  "and  soon  we  will  see  the 
dance,  for  they  are  ready  to  begin." 

Then  came  a  strange  sight. 

One  man  came  running  up  by  the  fire,  then  another, 
and  still  others,  until  there  were  as  many  as  all  the 
fingers  of  both  hands  and  that  many  more,  and  some 
of  them  Avere  very  strange,  for  they  were  painted  with 
bright  paints  and  had  no  blankets  on. 

Eut'b  of  these  was  led  by  another  man  who  wore 


262 


TOTEM   TALES. 


I 


Tah-mah-na-wis 


his  robes  and  held  a  louj;  slrinj;  of  skin  and  to  this  a 

painted  man  was  tied. 

The  painted  men  each  wore  a  mask  and  made  strange 

noises,  so  I  said  to  the  Wise  One,  "W'liy  is 

tliis,  and  wliat  does  it  mean,  Wise  One?" 

"It  is  Klale  Tal»-mali-na-wis,  the  Bhick 

Magic,  and  eacli  man  who  is  ])ainted  is  to 

Mask.         '^**'  ^  '^'^*^  '•^  '^^  animal  in  the  dance,  and 

all  will  be  made  members  of  the  clan  of  Rlack  Magic 

before  the  dance  is  done,  and  that  part  we  cannot  see, 

for  it  is  secret  and  no  man  may  look  npon  it  if  he  is 

not  of  the  Black  Magic  clan  too,  so  when  this  time 

comes  you  must  get  in  your  canoe  and  go  to  your  lodge 

or  the  red   men  may   kill 

you,    for   they     re    pelton 

with  the  dance,  and  do  not 

know  what  they  do." 

So  said  the  Talking  Pine. 

Now  I  looked  close   and; 

listened,  and  so  I  heard  the!  

voice  of  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay,  ^  ^'^*^'*\<i!^9 

and  the  voice  of  Tvee  Kula-  Thunclerblrd— Tah-mah-na-wls  Mask. 

kula,  the  great  gray  eagle,  and    many    other    voices, 

and  these  voices  came  in  the  chant  of  the  painted  men. 

I  saw  one  who  iumped  like  Wah-wah-hoo,  the  frog, 


n 


A  SKALL-LAL-A-TOOT.    WOODEN  B'IGURE  USED  IN  THE  KLALE  TAH- 

MAH-NA-WIS  DANCE.  i.68 


tM 


KLALE  T.iH-MAH-NA-WIS. 


one  who  ran  likcT'sin^j;,  the  b("iivei';  another  was  like 
Itswoot,  the  bhi(;k  bear,  and  one  like  Hoots,  the  brown 
bear,  and  llootza,  the  wolf,  was  another. 

These  I  could  see  by  their  acts,  and 
by  the  mask  they  wore  over  their 
heads,  and  there  were  many  more, 
like  Skamson,  the  thuuderbird,  and 
Yeltli,    the    raven,    and    all    were 


Tah-mah-na-wls  Wolf 
Musk. 


dancing. 


As  1  sat  and  looked  at  the  dance  I 
saw  llootza,  the  wolf,  run  at  a  man  and  snap  with  his 
mask,  like  the  real  wolf  does,  and  Hoots,  the  one  who 

was  the  brown  bear, 
danced  on  his  feet  and 
swung  his  arms  as  the 
b(ar  does  when  he 
stands  on  two  legs. 

The  one  who  was 
T'sing,  the  beaver, 
ran  on  his  hands  and 
feet  and   gnawed   at 

Tah-mah-na-wls  Mask.  Sticks  wlth   llis   Uiask, 

so  all  could  know  he  was  T'sing,  the  beaver,  and  the 
one  who  was  Skamson,  the  thuuderbird,  made  his  arms 
go  in  the  air  like  the  wings  of  Skamson  and  beat  on  a 


266 


TOTEM   TALES. 


tlrum  to  make  the  song  of  Tootab,  the  thunder,  and  all 
knew  who  he  was. 

All  these  men  danced  around  the  fire  for  a  long  time, 
the  ones  who  wore  no  masks  holding  the  strings  fast- 
ened to  the  painted  ones,  who  were  the  animals,  and 


THE  DANCERS  SAT  DOWN. 

they  did  many  things  that  made  all  who  saw  them 
laugh,  because  they  did  like  birds  and  animals  do,  and 
there  was  no  evil. 

When  the  moon,  Sno-qualm,  made  all  the  shadows 
short,  and  the  dancing  fire  had  burned  low  and  was 


' 


KLALB  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS. 


267 


red,  then  the  dance  stopped,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  red 
men  except  the  dancers  got  in  their  canoes  and  began 
to  paddle  away. 

The     dancers 
sat  down  and  be- 
gan to    chant    a 
low-toned     song, 
and     then    the 
Talking     Pine 
spoke,  "It  is  time 
to     go    away, 
T'solo,    for    now 
the  red    men    do 
secret    things 
that  no  man  may 
see  and  live,  if  he 
is     not    of     the 
Black    Magic 
clan.  I  cannot  tell 
you    of    these 
things   and    you 
would      not     be 
wise  to  stay  here, 

so  go  in  your  canoe  and  do  not  come  back  until  to- 
morrow night,  for  these  men  mil  soon  be  like  men  who 


The    Thunderblrd— Tah-mah-na-wls    Mask. 


mm 


TOTEM    TALES. 


have  looked  on  the  evil  eye,  and  it  is  not  good  to 
see." 

So  then  I  got  in  my  canoe  and  journeyed  to  my  lodge 
across  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains,  and  left  the  red  men 
there  singing  the  chant.  That  night  I  did  not  go  to 
the  sleep  country,  but  lay  on  the  lodge  mats  until  Spe- 
ow  threw  the  Sun  up  and  opened  the  daylight  box,  and 
ail  night  the  sound  of  the  chant  lamt  across  the  lake 
on  the  wind,  sometimes  low  and  far  off,  and  sometimes 
wild  and  iieree,  and  all  nigh*  the  top  of  the  Wise  One 
was  red  with  the  tire-light  that  burned  for  the  Klale 
Tah-mah-na-wis. 

What  deeds  were  done  there  I  do  not  know. 


i't 


LA-IiOW-YA,  T'solo,  tlio  wanderer;  it 
has  been  many  days  since  you  sat  at 
my  feet  the  .ast  time.    Where  have 
you  been  so  h)nj»  ?"    Ho  said  the  Talk- 
ing Pine,  as  I  sat  down  by  his  feet 
and  rested  from  my  journey. 
"I  have  been  on  a  journey  to  a  stran}>e  land,  and  I 
have  looked  on  strange  men,  Wise  One,  and  I    am 
weary.    My  paddle,  Esick,  is  tired  of  traveling,  and 
my  canoe  is  heavy  from  being  so  long  in  the  water. 

"I  have  seen  many  strange  things,  and  have  looked 
on  strange  totem  poles,  which  I  do  not  know  the  read- 
ing of.  One  of  these  I  have  here  in  the  canoe.  Wise 
One,  and  I  will  set  it  in  your  sight  that  you  may  read 
the  tales  that  are  cut  upon  it." 
Then  I  went  to  the  canoe  and  carried  the  great  to- 

269 


270 


TOTEM    TALES. 


tern  pole  up  where  the  Wise  One  could  look  on  the 
carvings  and  read  the  stories  for  me  as  I  smoked. 
When  the  Wise  Pine  saw  the  carvings  he  said,  "This 
came  from  some  one  who  was  a  Uiada,  and  of  the 
tribe  of  Hoots,  the  great  brown  bear,  for  he  is  carved 
at  the  top  and  is  the  totem  of  the  owner  of  the  house 
that  this  pole  stood  by. 

"This  you  may  know  because  of  the  ears  of  the  bear 
which  are  carved  to  look  like  the  ears  of  Hoots,  though 
the  body  is  more  of  a  man's  body,  and  has  hands  and 
feet  like  a  man.  This  is  so  because  the  Indians  say 
that  the  great  chief  of  the  bears  is  a  man  who  has  the 
head  of  a  bear,  and  so  they  carve  him  that  way  for  the 
totem  of  the  bear. 

"Now  you  see,  the  figure  of  Hoots,  the  bear,  sits  on 
three  rings  carved  on  the  pole.  This  means  that  the 
man  who  owned  this  pole  was  rich  and  had  given 
three  feasts  and  dances  to  all  the  rest  who  w^ere  of  his 
tribe,  and  so  you  see  it  cut  there  that  no  man  may 
forget  it. 

"Below  the  rings  I  see  the  great  Gray  Eagle,  and  this 
carving  means  Tah-mah-na-wis  and  is  good  medicine 
for  the  owner  and  all  his  household  and  no  man  knows 
what  it  is  but  the  owner. 

''Then  I  see  Yelth,  the  r^ven,  and  In  bin  mouth  he 


THE  QREAT  TOTEI.M  POLE, 


m 


I 


Hi 

5  I! 


READING  or  THE  TOTEM  POLE. 


273 


holds  tb  ,'  moon  wliich  Le  stole  from  the  eagle,  his 
uucle,  and  he  holds  the  dish  of  fresh  water  between 
his  feet.  Now  this  carving  is  the  story  I  told  you  once 
here  when  the  chinoos  burned  and  Sno-qualm,  the 
moon,  climbed  up  the  sky,  and  it  is  cut  there  that  men 
may  not  forget  the  deeds  of  Yelth,  who  got  these 
things  for  the  use  of  men. 

"Under  the  carving  of  Yelth  is  the  story  of  Touats, 
the  hunter,  and  Hoots,  the  bear,  cut  in  the  pole,  and 
by  the  feet  of  Touats  are  two  otter  heads  to  show  who 
he  is.  This  tale  I  told  you,  too,  a  long  time  ago,  and 
now  you  see  it  carved  in  the  totem  pole  of  a  man  of 
the  bear  totem,  Ix'cause  all  men  of  this  totem  know 
the  story  and  it  is  cut  there  that  their  children  may 
rem!  it  and  not  forget  the  tale. 

"Next  is  the  carving  of  T'sing,  the  beaver,  and  this 
you  may  know  by  his  teeth,  for  they  are  always  cut 
like  the  teeth  of  T'sing.  Now  this  is  the  totem  of  the 
man's  wife  who  lived  in  the  house,  and  it  is  cut  there 
that  the  woman  may  not  forget  her  own  peo.ih',  who 
are  of  the  beaver  totem,  and  so  her  children  may  know 
to  what  tribe  their  mother  belonged. 

"So  now,  \Yanderer,  you  know  the  reading  of  the 
carved  pole  that  you  got  in  your  journey,  and  I  know 
by  seeing  it  that  you  have  been  to  the  North,  by  the 


I  III 


274 


TOTEM   TALES. 


home  of  Colesnass,  the  winter,  for  this  pole  was  carved 
by  a  man  who  was  of  the  tribe  of  the  lliadas,  who  live 
by  the  great  water,  far  away  toward  the  cold  coun- 
try.   Where  did  you  get  the  pole.  Wanderer?" 
"I  was  on  my  journey  in  the  canoe,  Wise  One,  and  as 


THE  LODGE  OF  TIIE  DEAD  MAN. 

T  paddled  along  by  an  island  in  the  great  water  that 
i8  far  «way  toward  the  cold  country  of  the  North,  I 
S!aw  thin  |M>1<'  standing  among  the  pines.  T  went  to 
the  shore,  for  I  had  thoughts  that  there  wer^  people 
near  it  and  I  went  there. 


if'  I 


td 
o 

I 


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3    £ 


o 

O 
>• 
'^ 

o 


275 


i 


11 


READING  OF  THE  TOTEM  POLE. 


277 


"There  was  the  pole  and  a  lodge  that  the  wind  and 
the  rain  had  torn  and  broken,  so  no  one  could  live 
there,  but  there  were  no  people. 

"Then  T  read  the  signs,  and  this  I  found:  There  had 
been  a  family  living  here  by  the  pole,  and  they  had 
built  this  lodge.  There  was  a  man  and  his  wife  and 
one  small  child  who  had  lived  in  the  lodge,  but  who 
were  dead,  memaloose,  for  I  saw  their  bones  there, 
all  white  in  the  sun,  because  they  had  journeyed  to 
the  land  of  the  Stickeen  many  moons  ago.  There  was 
a  canoe  there,  all  split  by  the  sun  so  that  small  pines 
grew  up  through  the  cracks,  and  on  the  head  of  the 
canoe  was  cut  the  totem  of  Hoots,  the  bear,  so  I  knew 
that  it  was  a  man  of  the  bear  clan  who  had  built  the 
lodge. 

"I  knew  that  the  man  was  rich,  because  many  blank- 
ets and  many  robes  were  piled  up  in  the  lodge,  but 
they  were  rotten  from  the  wet.  As  I  read  the  signs 
and  walked  around  I  found  this  medicine  rattle  hung 
up  in  the  lodge,  and  it  is  carved  with  things  that  I  do 
not  know,  so  I  will  leave  it  in  your  sight  that  you 
may  know  what  is  cut  on  it  and  tell  me  when  I  come 
again. 

"Then  I  went  to  this  totem  pole,  and  put  my  hand 
against  it  and  it  fell  down,  for  it  was  so  old  that  the 


178 


TOTEM   TALES. 


wet  had  rotted  it  at  the  ground  and  made  it  ready 

to  break. 
"When  it  fell  I  carried  it  to  the  canoe  and  brought 

it  here  that  we  might  read  the  story  of  the  man  whose 

bones  were 
there  in  the 
sun,  and  who 
had  been  dead 
for  many 
moons,  for  his 
bones  were 
white  like 
the  arms  of  a 
dead  pine." 

"You  are 
good  in  read- 
ing signs, 
T'solo,  and 
have  told  the 
story    of    the 

THIS  IS  THE  TALR.  ^^pj^^J        ^^   ^    ^ 

Your  eyes  are  keen  and  you  sec  small  things.  Go  now 
to  your  lodge  and  come  again  on  another  night,  and 
then  I  will  read  the  carvings  on  the  medicine  rattle, 
for  they  tell  strange  things." 


READING  OP  THE  TOTEM  POLE. 


279 


So  then  I  put  the  great  totem  pole  back  in  th'?  canoe 
and  went  across  the  Lake  of  the  Mountains  to  my 
lodge,  and  there  I  set  the  carved  pole  in  the  ground, 
as  it  stood  by  the  lodge  of  the  dead  man  in  the  coun- 
try of  the  lliadas,  far  to  the  North. 


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(^1^\/'/^^  OP  T.^ 

IJEN  I  went  again  to  the  Talking  Pine 
he  told  me  the  story  of  the  carving 
on  the  medicine  rattle  that  I  brought 
from  the  lodge  of  the  dead  man  in 
the  Iliada  country,  where  I  got  the 
great  totem  pole  that  stands  by  my  lodge. 
This  the  Wise  One  said  of  the  rattle: 
"This  rattle  is  of  the  Mid-win-nie  clan,  T'solo,  and  so 
I  know  that  the  dead  man  whose  bones  you  saw  was  of 
the  medicine  clan,  for  no  other  can  use  a  rattle  like 
this,  and  it  is  for  driving  away  Skall-lal-a-toots  from 
the  medicine  lodge,  and  has  many  totems  cut  on  it. 

"Tills  one  at  the  end  is  the  head  of  Yelth,  the  raven, 
and  you  see  the  stick  in  his  mouth  that  he  us  id  to 
carry  the  fire  on  to  the  lodges  of  men,  as  I  told  you  a 
long  time  ago.    The  head  of  Yelth  is  cut  on  the  rattle, 

280 


i 


u 


I 


fl 


a 

D 
n 


CARVING  OF  THE  MEDICINE  RATTLE. 


283 


because  it  is  a  sign  of  good,  and  is  a  good  totem. 
"The  breast  of  Yelth  is  made  like  tlie  breast  of  the 
sparrow  hawk,  and  the  head  of  the  sparrow  hawk  is 
where  the  tail  of  Yelth  should  be,  and  in  the  hawk's 
mouth  is  a  carving  of  Wah-wah-hoo,  the  frog. 

"Now  that  is  because  the  hawk  is  a  medicine  bird, 
and  it  carries  Wah-wah-hoo,  the  frog,  to  the  medicine 
men  so  they  may  get  medicine  for  working  evil  from 
the  head  of  the  frog,  because  he  had  evil 
thoughts  when  he  was  changed  from  Wah- 
wah-hoo,  the  man,  to  the  shape  of  the  frog, 
and  now  these  evil  thoughts  are  still  in  the 
head  of  the  frog,  in  the  shape  of  medicine, 
which  those  of  the  Mid-win-nie  clan  take  for 
the  working  of  evil  spells. 

"On  the  top  of  the  l-attle  I  see  Ka-ke-hete, 
Medicine    the  chief  of  demons,  and  a  girl  who  is  in  the 
^*"*^-     form  of  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay. 
"Now  you  see  there  is  a  frog  again  going  from  the 
mouth  of  Ka-ke-hete  to  the  mouth  of  the  girl,  and  this 
means  that  Ka-ke-hete  is  talking  a  lie  to  the  girl  and 
it  is  a  lie  abort  the  blue  jay,  Ki-ki,  and  means  evil 
for  the  girl  to  be  seen  listening  to  the  talk  of  Ka-ke- 
hete,  for  he  is  the  chief  of  demons. 
"The  whole  rattle  is  the  carving  of  the  raven,  Yelth, 


284 


TOTEM    TALES. 


who  is  the  totem  of  all  the  Hiada  tribes,  and  is  for  good 
medicine,  and  you  must  hang  it  to  your  lodge  pole  for 
a  charm  against  evil  things. 
"That  is  the  reading  of  the  medicine  rattle,  T'solo." 
So  when  the  Wise  One  was  finished  I  took  the  rattle 
and  went  to  my  lodge  across  the  Lake  of  the  Moun- 
tains, and  hung  it  there  for  a  charm  against  evil  spir- 
its that  travel  in  the  niuht. 


i^t'^^^^t^m 


The  ThU/h^ER^K- 

HEN  the  canoe  grated  on  the  sand 
and  I  came  up  from  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains  the  next  time,  the  great 
Talking  Pine  was  silent  until  I 
spoke. 

"Do  you  sleep,  Wise  One?"  I  asked  as  I  took  ray 
accustomed  seat  ready  to  listen  to  the  tales. 

"A-he,  Snugwillimie  T'solo,"  he  answered,  "I  sleep 
the  sleep  of  the  old,  for  I  am  weary  of  the  dancing  and 
of  play.  To-night  the  sky  is  clouded  and  the  water 
is  black  with  shadows  so  that  you  cannot  see  the 
mountains  that  the  Skall-lal-a-toots  paint,  for  they 
paint  only  when  there  is  red  in  the  sky  at  evening, 
and  when  there  is  blue  in  the  sky  in  day. 

"To-night  is  a  night  of  rain,  and  soon  Skamson,  the 
great  thunderbird,  will  flap  his  wings  and  then  you 

285 


286 


TOTEM   TALES. 


will  hear  Tootah,  the  thunder,  sing  his  war  song,  and 

you  will  see  Chethl,  the  lightning,  who  is  the  glance 

of  the  thunderbird's  eye. 

"Tell  me  of  the  thunderbird,  Skamson,  and  of  his 

deeds.  Wise  One,  for  this  I  do  not  know,  and  have 

heard  only  the 
story  of  how  he 
was  born  there  by 
the  great  river. 

"It  is  a  good 
night  for  the  tale 
of  Skamson,  and  I 
will  tell  you  of 
him,  T'solo,  the 
wanderer,  if  you 
listen  well.  It  is 
like  this: 

"You  know  the 
tale  of  how  he 
came  to  be,    so    of 

that  I  will  not  speak,  but  will  only  tell  of  his  deeds  as 

they  were  told  to  me  by  S'doaks,  the  Twana  medicine 

man. 
"Now  Skamson,  the  thunderbird,  is  a  man  who  is  in 

the  shape  of  a  bird,  and  is  the  keeper  of  Chethl,  the 


Indian  Drawing  of  Slcamson. 


\ 

I 


! 


THB  FLIGHT  OF  SKAMSON. 


287 


SKAM-SON,   THE  THUNDERER. 


289 


lightning,  and  the  keeper  of  the  medicine  plants,  for 

he  makes  the  rain  and  so  makes  all  the  medicine  plants 

to  grow. 
"Skamson  eats  nothing  but  whales,  and  these  he 

does  not  have  near  his  home,  which  is  on  top  of  a  high 

mountain, 
where  he  sits 
wrapped  in  his 
robe  of  clouds. 
"Because  he 
eats  whales 
he  must  go  to 
the  great 
water  to  get 
them  when  he 
is  hungry,  and 
that  is  why 
we  have  rain, 
this  way: 
"When  Skamson  feels  hunger  then  he  makes  magic 

and  many  clouds  come  in  the  sky,  so  that  Skamson 

may  fly  to  the  great  water  behind  them  and  not  be 

seen  by  men. 

"By  and  by  the  clouds  cover  all  tne  sky,  had  when 

the  thunderbird,  Skamson,  starts  on  his  journey  and 


Indian  Drawing  of  Skamson, 


290 


TOTEM    TALES. 


flies  like  a  bird,  witli  liis  eyes  looking  straight  ahead 
and  his  great  wings  flapping,  then  yon  hear  the  war 
song  of  Tootah,  the  thnnder,  for  that  is  the  flapping 
of  the  wings  of  Skamson.  * 

"Sometime.4  as  he  tmvelw  io  the  great 
water  Skamson  looks  down  through  the 
clouds  and  Chethl,  the  lightning,  throws; 
a  piece  of  fire  down  to  the  ground  to 
make  a  hole  in  the  clouds,  so  that  Skam- 
son may  see  through,  for  Chethl  is  keep- 

Indiaii  drawing  of 

er  of  the  eyes   of   Skamson,   the   thun-       skamson. 
derbirdy  and  lives  in  the  head  of  Skamson. 

"When  the  thunderbird  gets  to  the  great  water  and 
sees  a  whale,  then  Chethl  throws  fire  down  again  and 
I     /K  kills  it  for  food  for  Skamson,  and 

sometimes  this  fire  hits  a  man  by 
mistake  and  kills  him,  as  it  does 
the  whale. 

"After  the  whale  is  dead  then 
Skamson  takes  it  with  his  feet  and  flies  to  a  high 
mountain  to  eat  it,  and  then  the  rain  does  not  fall  any 
more,  and  Tootah,  the  thunder,  is  still. 

"Now  there  is  an  island  in  the  great  water  far  to  the 
North,  in  the  country  of  the  Haidas,  and  on  this  island 


Indian  drawing  of 
Slianison. 


SKAM-«ON,    THE   THUNDERER. 


291 


«i 


\ 


is  a  hi}»'h  nKmntuin  and  there  ar<»  many  boiuv,  there, 
for  that  is  the  phiee  where  SUanisou  lias  eai  ii  many 
whales. 

"Skamson  is  a  very  large  bird- 
man,  fox  an  Indian  of  the  Twana 
tribe  saw  him  rest  on  a  high  moun-  Ji 

tain  once,  and  this  Indian  tied  one       y^    \^^\ 
of  the  feathers  of  Skamson's  wing  J  ^. 

to  a  tree,  so  that  when  the  great  y  \ 

thunderbird  flew  away  the  feadiermdian  arawing  of  skamson. 

was  pulled  out,  and  when  it  laid  on  the  ground  it  was 

the  length  of  fifty  canoes,  and  so  it  was  very  large. 

"This  feather  was  made  into  medicine  and  is  in  the 

medicine  bags  of  the  tribe  of  theTwanas  to  this 

|n      day,  for  it    is    strong    medicine    and    works 

aV^     good. 

"Skamson,  the  thunderbird,  is  a  great  trav- 
eler, and  so  the  men  who  live  across  the  moun- 
tains by  the  land  of  Squintum,  the  white  man, 
know  of  his  deeds,  too,  and  have  him  pictured 
on  the  robes  in  the  medicine  lodge  of  many 
tribes,  and  these  picture  robes  you  may  see 
among  many  tribes,  even  so  far  a.'  five  great 
lakes  that  stand  close  together  in  the  country  of  Squin- 
tum, the  white  man,  and  where  now  no  Indians  live. 


War  Club. 


^|) 


292 


TOTEM   TALES. 


in 


because  of  the  white  man,  who  lives  all  over  the  land 
there  by  the  lakes. 

"But  one  time  long  ago  many  tribes  lived  by  these 
lakes  before  Squintum  came,  and  these  tribes  all  knew 
of  Skamson  and  had  his  picture  painted  on  the 
robes. 


f^J^>r 


WHERE  THE  WHITE  MEN  LIVE  BY  THE  LAKE. 

"Here  the  Indians  cut  the  carving  of  Skamson  on 
their  war  clubs  to  give  them  luck  in  hunting,  because 
he  is  a  Tah-mah-na-wis  spirit,  and  they  cut  the  carv- 
ing on  the  canoe  stem  that  it  may  find  good  fishing 


SKAM-SON,   THE  THUNDERER. 


for  them,  and  they  paint  it  on  their  h)dges,  and  tat- 
too it  on  their  arms,  because  of  its  magic. 

"And  this,  then,  is  the  tale  of 
Skamson,  the  great  thunderbird, 
as  it  was  told  to  me  by  S'doaks,  the 
medicine  man. 

"Now  it  is  time  to  journey  to  your 
lodge,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  for 
Skamson  has  started  on  his  way  to 
the  great  water,  and  soon  the  rain  will  fall,  and  I 
hear  the  war  song  of  Too-tah,  the 
thunder.  X  \    >     ]\ 

"You  must  have  good  eyes  to  see    y^   \       /  y\, 


Indian  drawing  of 
Skamson. 


Indian  drawing  of 
Skamson. 


to-night,  T'solo,  else  you  will  miss 
your  way  across  the  Lake  of  the 
Mountains,  for  darkness  hangs  thick 
over  the  water. 

"Now  Klook-wah,  tillicum,  and  come  again,  for    I 

must  sing  the  rain   song   and    dance 

the  wind  dance,  and  have  no  time  for 

talk." 

So  then  I  left  the  Wise  One,  and 

journeyed  to  my  lodge  across  the  Lake 
of  the  Mountains,  and  as  the  door  curtain  fell  behind 
me,  I  heard  the  war  song  of  Too-tah,  the  thunder,  and 
then  rain  began  to  faU. 


Indian  drawing  of 
Skamson. 


-GAMBLE 


^^    S  I  sat  in  tlie  door  of  my  lodge  by  the 

^Jk        Lake    of   the    Mountains,    I    looked 

^r^l        toward  the  great  Talking  Pine,  and 

0       ■        saw  the  light  of  a  fire  flare  up,  and 

*      make  his  great  limbs  shine  in  the 

dark,  so  that  I  wondered  what  was  happening  there. 
Soon  I  heard  voices,  faint  and  far  away,  as  they 
came  over  the  lake,  and  these  voices  were  the  voices 
of  men  who  sang  a  wild  chant  which  I  could  not  hear 
the  words  of.  After  I  sat  and  listened  for  some  time 
I  got  Esick,  the  paddle,  and  went  down  to  the  canoe, 
for  I  wondered  what  deeds  were  being  done  there  by 
the  foot  of  Kp-ki-i-sil-mah,  the  Wise  One. 

Slowly  I  paddled  along,  and  by  and  bj'e  the  canoe 
went  softly  against  the  yellow  sand,  and  I  left  it  there 
while  I  went  up  to  see  why  the  fire  burned. 

294 


THE  SING-GAMBLE. 


295 


"Kla-how-ya,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,"  said  the  Wise 
One,  "you  come  at  a  good  time,  for  now  you  will  see 
the  gamblers,  and  hear  the  song  that  gamblers  sing, 
and  it  is  a  wild  song  to  hear,  for  the  men  play  a  wild 
game  to-night.  Sit  niiere  you  can  see,  and  watch 
these  red  men  play  away  their  belongings,  for  they  are 
crazy  with  the  gambler's  craze  and  will  not  stop  until 
they  have  lost  all  they  own." 

So  then  I  sat  still  and  watched  the  game  and  the 
gamblers  until  Sno-qualm,  the  moon,  made  short  shad- 
ows, and  these  things  I  saw  there: 

A  fire  had  been  built  to  give  light  for  the  game,  an! 
on  each  side  of  it  were  six  men,  who  sang  a  wild  chant 
and  beat  with  sticks  on  a  hollow  drum  log. 

One  man  had  two  short  sticks  that  could  be  cov- 
ered by  your  hand,  and  all  the  bark  had  been  peeled 
from  one,  while  a  ring  of  green  had  been  left  around 
the  center  of  the  other.  These  were  gamble  sticks, 
and  the  game  was  to  guess  which  hand  held  the  ring 
stick.  Each  side  had  ten  short  sticks  of  cedar,  which 
lay  on  the  ground  in  front  of  them,  and  besides  these 
three  long  sticks  had  been  cut  for  keeping  the  count. 

When  they  were  ready  to  play,  then  one  man  took 
the  two  gamble  sticks,  one  in  each  hand,  and  covered 
them  so  no  one  could  see  them,  then  he  swung  his 


296 


TOTEM    TALES. 


hands  crosswise  before  him,  as  he  knelt  there  by  the 
fire,  and  changed  the  sticljs  quickly  from  one  hand  to 
the  other.    Soon  one  of  the  other  side  thought  he  knew 

which  hand  held  the  ring  stick,  and  he  made  a  motion 
to  that  side. 

Then  the  gamble  song  stopped  and  the  man  who 
held  the  gamble  sticks  put  both  hands  out  in  front, 
and  opened  them  wide  ti^  show  both  sticks. 

The  guesser  had  missed,  and  so  he  threw  across  to 
the  other  side  one  of  the  short  sticks  of  cedar,  which 

was  one  count,  and  the 
winners  -^tuck  this  stick 
in  the  ground  to  show 
their  count  of  points. 
Then  the  game  began 
over,  and  the  gamble 
chant  was  sung  again 
like  this:  "A-ah-o-lilly-ahn-ah-ha!  A-ah-o-lilly-ahn-ah- 
ha!" 

Then,  when  one  thought  he  knew  which  liand  held 
the  ring  stick  again,  he  made  a  motion  and  the  sticks 
were  shown  as  before.  This  time  he  guessed  it,  and 
so  the  man  who  had  held  the  sticks  threw  a  count  stick 
OA'er  to  the  one  who  had  guessed  right,  and  then  threw 
the  gamble  sticks  across  too,  and  his  side  became  the 


Gamble  Sticks. 


THE  SING-GAMBLE. 


297 


guessers  until  they  wou  and  got  the  gamble  sticks 
back  again. 

For  a  long  time  they  did  this  way,  and  when  one 
side  had  got  ten  of  the  count  sticks  stuck  in  the  ground 
they  took  them  all  down  and  put  a  large  one  up,  to 


MADE  A  MOTION  TO  THAT  SIDE. 

mean  ten  counts,  and  when  one  side  got  three  of  these 
larger  count  sticks  up  they  won  the  game  and  took  all 
the  things  that  the  gamble  was  for,  and  left  the  others 
who  had  lost  them. 
These  things  I  saw  the   winners   take  away   with 


TOTEM    TALES. 

them:  Three  canoes,  a  white  man's  watch  that  can 
tell  the  time,  some  good  blankets,  some  pieces  of 
T'kope  chicka-min,  that  the  white  man,  Squintum,  calls 
dollars,  and  some  robes  and  moccasins,  and  these  were 
lost  by  the  other  side  in  the  play  of  the  sing-gamble. 

"You  have  seen  the  gamblers  and  heard  their  song, 
T'solo,  the  wanderer,  and  now  listen: 

"These  men  think  to  get  something  for  nothing,  and 
that  no  man  may  do  honestly,  and  he  who  does  this 
has  in  his  mind  Ka-ke-hete,  the  chief  of  demons,  and 
he  is  evil,  or  he  is  pelton,  not  right  in  his  thoughts,  and 
so  is  not  a  good  man  to  know.  Remember,  T'solo,  what 
you  have  seen  to-night,  and  do  not  sit  by  the  sing-gam- 
ble fire  and  listen  to  the  sing-gamble  song,  lest  it  be- 
witch you  and  you  get  hungry  for  gold,  like  Squin- 
tum, the  white  man,  across  the  mountains,  who  is 
never  satisfied,  and  always  cries  for  more  gold. 

"It  is  better  to  know  of  good  hunting,  and  where 
many  salmon  swim,  and  to  have  wisdom  in  the  ways 
of  medicine  and  of  magic,  than  it  is  to  know  too  much 
of  the  ways  of  Squintum,  the  white  man,  who  is  like 
the  gamblers  you  saw  to-night,  in  his  thoughts." 

The  fire  had  burned  low  and  red  and  I  sat  there 
looking  into  it,  and  thinking  heavy  thoughts  on  the 
words  of  the  Talking  Pine,  and  as  I  thought  it  came 


[t  can 

jes   of 

I,  calls 

were 

|ble. 

song, 


A 


THE  FIRE  HAD  BURNED  LOW. 


THE  SING-GAMBLE. 


301 


into  my  mind  that  the  Pine  was  old,  and  had  much 
wisdom,  and  that  his  words  were  heavy  words,  spoken 
with  a  single,  straight  tongue,  so  I  said,  "It  is  well, 
Wise  One,  and  your  words  are  good  words  to  remem- 
ber, and  from  this  time  I  will  look  on  the  sing-gamble 
no  more  lest  I  get  hungry  for  the  gold,  like  the  white 
man,  Squintum,  and  so  let  Ka-ke-hete  come  into  my 
mind.  And  now  I  would  sleep,  and  will  go  to  my 
lodge.    Klook-wah,  Wise  One." 

And  so  I  got  in  the  canoe  and  crossed  back  to  my 
lodge  again,  and  left  the  fire  to  burn  out. 


OULD  you  know  of  tuc  Tah-mali-na- 
wis  of  S'doaks,  T'solo?"  aske/1  the 
Talking  Pine,  as  I  lighted  my  pipe 
and  sat  down  at  his  feet  to  hear  the 
tales. 

"Tell  the  story,  Wise  One,  for  I  would  know  of 
S'doaks  and  of  the  tribe  of  the  Twanas,"  I  answered. 
And  then  the  Wise  One,  Ka-ki-i-sil-mah,  the  great 
Talking  Pine,  told  me  this  tale: 

"When  the  great  medicine  man,  S'doaks,  the  son  of 
Yelth,  the  raven,  was  only  a  small  lad,  he  was  a  good 
trailer  and  a  good  hunter,  and  was  very  wise  for  one 
so  young. 

"His  eyes  were  keen  and  his  mind  wao  clear  to  tell 
what  he  saw,  and  his  judgment  was  the  judgment  of  a 


man  full  grown. 


302 


! 


THE  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS  OF  S'DOAKS. 


808 


'TNTow  in  the  tribe  of  tlie  Twaiias  tliere  was  an  old 
Mid-win-nie  man  who  was  very  wise,  and  who  was 
Itswoot,  the  bear,  and  whose  nose  was  keen  to  smell 
tliinj;s  out,  and  this  man  saw  S'doaks  and  saw  his 
wisdom. 

"So  one  time  at  the  council,  Itswoot,  the  bear,  said 

to  Yelth,  the  father  of  S'doaks,  <Tyee  Yelth,  chief  of  the 

tribe  of  the  Twanas,  you  are  the  favored  father  of  a 

favored  son,  for  S'doaks  is  of  the  Mid- 

win-nie  clan,  born  a  medicine  man, 

and  only  needs  to  be  taught  the  ways 

of  doing  medicine  deeds  to  be  a  great 

man  and  chief  of  all  the  Mid-win-nie 

men.    Give  to  me  the  training  of  the 

lad,  and  vou  shall  see  him  the  heua 

man  of  the  Twana  tribe  when    the 

time  comes  for  you  to  go  to  Stickeen, 

the  land  of  the  dead.' 

"These  words  were  heavy  words  to  Yelth,  the  raven, 

and  he  thought  for  many  days  on  what  the  bear  had 

said,  and  then  he  told  S'doaks  that  he  must  go  and 

live  with  Itswoot,  the  bear,  and  get  wisdom  in  the 

ways  of  medicine. 

"And  this  was  the  starting  of  S'doaks,  the  greatest 
medicine  man  of  all  the  Mid-win-nie  clan. 


S'doaks. 


804 


TOTEM  TALES. 


"Now  you  know,  T'solo,  the  wanderer,  that  every 
boy  must  get  a  totem,  or  spirit,  to  look  after  him 
through  life  and  to  protect  him  on  his  journeys,  and 
to  bring  luck  on  his  hunting  and  fishing  trips,  and  this 
totem  is  his  Tah-mah-na-wis  for  all  time. 

"So  when  S'doaks  was  a  big  boy  and  had  seen  as 
many  summers  as  all  the  fingers  on  both  your  hands, 
and  half  as  many  more,  then  Itswoot  called  him  into 
the  medicine  lodge  and  told  him  what  to  do. 

"Said  the  medicine  man,  Ttswoot,  the  bear,  'S'doaks, 
listen!  To-day  you  are  a  man,  and  must  have  the  to- 
tem of  a  man.  Now  listen  well  and  I,  Itswoot,  will 
tell  you  of  the  way.  When  you  leave  this  lodge  you 
must  go  to  the  sweat  lodge  and  stay  there  without 
eating  or  drinking  for  one  whole  sun,  then  when  Po- 
likely,  the  night,  comes,  you  must  leave  all  your  robes, 
and  your  bows,  and  jour  knife,  and  with  only  your 
medicine  belt,  go  into  the  forest  and  stay  until  your 
Tah-mah-na-wis  comes  to  you. 

"  'You  must  be  very  careful  not  to  eat  or  drink  dur- 
ing this  time,  but  fast  and  wait  until  you  see  some  ob- 
ject that  will  come  to  you  in  the  forest  and  motion  for 
you  to  follow  it.  Then  you  must  follow  and  not  take 
your  eyes  from  it,  and  it  will  guide  you  to  food  and 
drink. 


SDOAKS,  LlSTErV 


805 


THE  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS  OF  S'DOAKS. 


307 


"  'This  will  be  your  Tah-mali-Ha-wis  and  will  guard 
you  through  life  and  protect  you.  In  return  for  this 
protection  you  must  never  kill  this  object,  even  if  you 
are  starving,  but  must  always  protect  it  in  every  way 
you  can,  for  bad  luck  comes  to  those  who  harm  their 
totem. 

"  'If  your  totem  be  a  beast,  bird  or  fish,  or  other  liv- 
ing thing,  then  get  some  part  of  it  and  put  it  in  your 
medicine  bag  for  a  charm,  but  do  not  kill  to  get  this 
charm. 

"  'When  you  have  got  the  charm  you  may 
then  eat  and  drink,  but  let  no  man  see  you 
for  one  moon,  but  stay  in  the  forest  and  talk 
with  Tah-mah-ua-wis  and  gain  wisdom. 

"  'When  the  space  of  one  moon  has  gone  by 
then  come  here  and  go  again  to  the  sweat 
lodge  and  stay  over  one  night,  then  you  may 
go  agaiu  among  men,  and  in  one  summer  more  you 
shall  take  the  Kloo-kwallie  dance  and  be  a  great  medi- 
cine man.  But  in  that  summer,  S'doaks,  look  well 
that  no  woman  touches  you  on  the  hand,  and  let  no 
woman  touch  your  salmon  spear,  nor  set  foot  in  your 
fishing  canoe,  for  that  would  spoil  all  and  make  these 
things  useless.  And  now,  S'doaks,  have  you  listened 
well?' 


Knife. 


3. 
if 


SOS 


TOTEM  TALES. 


"  'My  ears  are  open  and  I  have  heard  the  roar  of  the 
bear,'  answered  S'doaks. 

"*Go  then  and  I  will  make  medicine  for  your  good 
luck/  said  Itswoot,  and  S'doaks  went  away. 

"All   things   went   as   Itswoot   had   directed,   and 


I     AM     TAH-MAH-NA-WIS. 

S'doaks  was  in  the  forest  all  alone  for  many  days  and 
had  not  touched  either  food  or  drink,  and  was  weak 
from  long  fasting  when  he  heard  a  voice  in  a  strange 
tongue,  and  looking  up  saw  Ki-ki,  the  blue  jay,  sitting 
on  the  limb  of  a  hemlock  tree. 


KI-KI  TOLD  HIM  TO  REST  BY  THE  RIVER. 


309 


THE  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS  OF  S'DOAKS. 


311 


"Though  the  language  was  strange,  S'doaks  found 
that  he  could  understand  it,  as  he  could  the  Twana 
speech  of  his  father's  tribe,  and  then  he  knew  that 
Ki-ki  was  sent  for  him  as  Tah-mah-na-wis,  and  he 
listened  to  the  talk  of  Ki-ki. 

"Said  the  bird,  'Listen,  S'doaks;  I  am  Ki-ki,  the 
blue  jay,  and  I  have  been  looking  for  you. 

"  *I  am  Tah-mah-na-wis  and  will  show  you  food  and 
drink.  Come,  and  see  that  you  do  not  let  me  get  out 
of  your  sight. 

"So  the  bird  flew  from  one  tree  to  another,  and 
S'doaks  followed  until  he  came  to  a  great  river  full 
of  salmon,  and  there  the  bird  told  him  to  "top  and 
rest. 

"After  S'doaks  had  rested  he  said  to  Ki-ki,  *I, 
S'doaks,  the  son  of  Yelth,  the  raven,  take  you  for  my 
totem.  I  must  have  some  part  of  you  for  my  medi- 
cine bag,  yet  I  must  not  kill  to  get  it.  What  shall  I 
do?' 

"  'Wait,'  said  Ki-ki,  'and  something  will  happen  so 
you  will  have  the  medicine  you  want.' 

"So  S'doaks  waited,  and  soon  the  bird  flew  away 
without  liis  seeing  it.  Then  a  strange  thing  happened. 
As  S'doaks  sat  there,  a  mink  came  by  dragging  a  dead 


312 


TOTEM  TALES. 


blue  jay  by  the  neck,  and  when   it   saw    S'doaks   it 
let  go  of  the  bird  and  ran  away  into  the  deep  woods. 

"S'doaks  went  and  picked  up  the  dead  body  and  took 
two  feathers  from  each  wing  and  put  them  in  his  medi- 
cine belt  to  make  him  fleet.  Then  he  took  the  eyes  to 
make  him  see  better,  and  the  heart  to  make  him  kind 
to  men,  and  the  brain  to  make  him  wise  in  medicine 
and  to  give  him  the  power  of  Tah-mah-na-w^is,  and  the 
tongue  to  give  him  the  talk  of  the  wild  things.  All 
these  things  he  put  in  his  medicine  belt  and  sat  down 
to  wait  for  Ki-ki  to  come  back. 
"Soon  Ki-ki  came  back  and  said,  'Now  you  have 

the  charms  and  I  will 
go.  But  I  will  be 
near  you  always,  and 
when  you  need  me 
you  must  call  in  the 
talk  of  the  blue  jay, 
Ki-ki.' 

"Then  Ki-ki  went  away  and  S'doaks  was  left  alone. 
Then  he  caught  some  of  the  salmon  and  ate  them  and 
stayed  alone  in  the  woods  for  the  time  of  one  moon 
and  talked  with  Tah-mah-na-wis  and  gained  wisdom. 
And  so  that  is  how  S'doaks,  the  son  of  Yelth,  the  ra- 
ven, came  to  have  Ki-kl,  the  blue  jay,  for  his  totem. 


Mink   Dragging  a  Blue   Jay. 


dflH 


I 


THE  TAH-MAH-NA-WIS  OF  S'DOAKS. 


813 


"Now  it  is  time  for  sleep,"  said  tlie  Pine,  and  1  got 
in  my  canoe  again,  and  paddled  away  across  the  Lake 
of  the  Mountains  to  wait. 


♦  r 


VOCABULARY  AND  HISTORICAL  APPENDIX. 


A-a-ah-na  (A-a-ah-nah).  —  Exclamation  from  the  T'suc-cuc-cub 
dialect  meaning,  as  nearly  as  it  can  be  expressed,  "Oh  yes." 

A-ah-o-lilly-ahn-ah-ah,— The  chant  used  in  the  sing-gamble  game. 
Repeated  over  and  over  without  time  or  rythm.  Simply  these 
sounds  without  meaning  used  as  a  song  to  go  with  the  gam- 
bling game. 

A-he  (Ay-hee).— Allied  tribes.  An  exclamation  in  the  T'suc-cuc- 
cub  dialect  meaning  "yes." 

Alki  (Al-kee). — Chinook  word  meaning  bye  and  bye,  after  a  little 
while,  in  a  little  time  to  come. 

Alkicheek  (Al-key-cheek).— A  small  sea  shell  not  unlike  a  porcu- 
pine quill.  Considered  valuable  as  ornament  among  the  In- 
dians. Procured  from  a  small  mollusk  and  made  into  ear 
pendants,  necklaces,  etc.  Sometimes  used  as  a  trade  money 
with  Hiaqua  in  times  past. 

Canim  (Kay-nim). — Chinook  word  for  "canoe." 

Cawk  (Cawk).— Hiada  word.  Name  of  a  mythical  person  described 
as  the  daughter  of  the  Beaver. 

Chee-chee-watah  (Chee-chee-wat-tah). — The  name  of  tho  humming 
bird.    Allied  tribes, 

Chee-watum  (Chee-wat-tum).— Indian  man's  name.    Allied  tribes. 

Chethl  (Chethl).— A  man's  name.  The  lightning.  Origin  with  some 
tribe  of  the  Selish  family. 

Chinook. — The  name  of  a  group  of  Indian  tribes  who  lived  along 
the  Columbia  River,  and  the  sea  coast  to  the  north.  Also 
the  name  of  a  jargon  used  as  a  common  trade  language  among 
all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest  who  occupy  Washing- 


816 


TOTEM   TALES. 


ton,  Oregon,  Idaho  and  Vancouver's  leland.  It  was  found, 
much  the  same  as  to-day,  in  use  among  these  tribes  by  Lewis 
and  Clark  in  1806,  and  is  not,  as  has  been  asserted,  an  inven- 
tion of  the  factors  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  company  of  fur  trade.s, 
although  they  have  in  company  with  other  trai'.ers  contributed 
to  its  growth  by  adding  English  and  French  words.  It  is  com- 
posed as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained  of  the  following  lan- 
guages and  tribal  dialects:  French, 90  words;  English,  67  words, 
Canadian,  4  words;  Unknown,  24  words;  Wasco  tribe,  4  words; 
Chippewa,  1  word;  Nisqually,  7  words;  Chinook,  221  words; 
Dialects,  32  words;  Chehalis,  32  words;  Calapooya,  4  words; 
Cree,  2  words;  Klikatat,  2  words.  The  English  letters  F  and 
R  are  changed  to  the  sounds  of  P  and  L  and  no  unnecessary 
words  are  used  in  the  Jargon,  for  the  Indian  favors  terseness. 
Even  Chinook  has  many  dialects,  and  words  in  common  use 
in  one  locality  are  unknown  in  some  distant  part  of  the 
country  'where  the  jargon  is  used.  It  has  no  grammar  and  a 
dictionary  of  It  would  be  hard  to  write  on  account  of  the 
manifold  uses  of  the  same  word,  a  motion  accompanying  it 
changing  its  meaning  entirely.  Yet  it  is  easily  and  quickb' 
learned  and  is  in  use  to  a  great  extent  to-day  in  the  North- 
west, whites  as  well  as  Indians  using  it  as  a  medium  of  trade 
or  information.  While  it  has  many  shortcomings  it  still  hat 
its  advantages,  and  through  it  the  "Totem  Tales"  have  been 
translated  into  the  English  and  preserved,  a  feat  that  would  be 
almost  impossible  if  one  had  to  rely  on  the  harsh  unspeakable 
gutturals  of  the  native  languages,  which  sound  even  more  con- 
fusing than  Chinese  and  each  one  of  which  would  require  half 
a  lifetime  to  master.  The  English  language  is  not  capable  of 
a  description  of  these  Indian  tongues.  But  we  have  Chinook, 
only  about  five  or  six  hundred  words,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  backed 
by  the  expressive  talking  of  an  Indian's  hands,  a  natural  sign 
language,  and  lo,  the  tales  are  procured,  understood  and  rb- 
corded  in  all  their  simplicity,  contradictory  features,  poetry, 
romance  and  superstition.  So  much  for  the  Chinook  Jargon. 
a  queer  language  without  a  country  or  ownership,  a  social 
tramp,  an  outcast  among  the  languages  of  the  world.  Just  as 


VOCABULARY    AND    HISTORICAL    APPENDIX.       317 


ita  originators  are  outcasts,  reviled,  laughed  at,  and  mi;mnder- 
fltood  by  the  civilized  tribes  of  men  who  build  great  stone 
lodges,  all  in  one  place,  and  seek  always  for  gold,  forgetting 
all,  even  the  Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis,  for  this. 

Chinoos  (Chin-noose).— Tobacco.    From  the  Quinault  language. 

Closh  (Klo-sch).— Chinook  word  meaning  good.  Skoo-kum  also 
means  good  and  one  word  is  used  as  often  as  the  other  to  sig- 
nify the  same  thing. 

Colesick  (Cole-sick). — The  keeper  of  the  dead,  chief  of  all  in  the 
country  of  Stick-een,  land  of  shades.  Also  used  in  Chinook 
to  mean  any  sickness  that  is  not  a  fever.    Origin  unknown. 

Colesnass  (Colesnass).— Chinook  word  meaning  the  cold  weather, 
cold  wind,  etc.,  etc. 

Cultas  (Cult-tass).— Chinook  word  meaning  bad,  also  worthless. 
"Cultas  man,"  a  shiftless  fellow;  "Cultas  fisick,"  a  wornout 
paddle;  "delate  cultas,"  very  bad,  wicked. 

Doak-a-batl  (Doak-a-battle).— Twana  language.  The  name  of  a 
great  mythical  personage  who  is  credited  with  the  making  of 
many  new  things.    Really  an  Indian  Creator. 

DVampsh  (Doo-wam-ish).— The  river  that  empties  into  Elliott 
Bay  at  Seattle,  Wash.  Name  the  same  as  one  of  the  allied 
tribes  whose  territory  extended  many  miles  up  and  down  thlA 
stream. 

Ena  (E-nah).— Chinook  word  meaning  the  Beaver. 

Ena-poo  (Enah-pooh). — Chinook  word  meaning  Muskrat. 

Esick  (Ee-sik).— Chinook  word  for  paddle. 

Evil  Eye. — The  expression  among  Indians  meaning  about  the  same 
as  a  witch  among  white  people.  Anyone  possessed  of  an  evil 
eye  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  cast  spells  for  evil  over  any  other 
person  even  at  great  distances.  There  are  many  charms  and 
incantations,  medicines,  etc.,  etc.,  to  ward  off  this  influence 
and  render  it  harmless,  but  notwithstanding,  all  this  the  In- 
dian is  still  deathly  afraid  of  the  unseen  power  of  this  influ- 
ence, and  if  he  once  gets  an  idea  that  you  are  an  "evil  eye"  no 
power  on  earth  can  get  him  to  look  at  your  face,  and  he  will 
undergo  almost  anything  rather  than  meet  you  face  to  face. 
Such  is  the  hold  of  superstition  on  the  savage  mind. 


818 


TOTEM    TALES. 


G'Klobet  (O'Klobet).— Man's  name.   Allied  tribes. 

Hah-hah  (Ha-ha).— Mythical  character.  The  wife  of  the  frog.  Ori- 
gin unknown. 

Hla-qua  (Hl-a-quaw). — The  name  applied  to  the  shells  used  as 
money  before  the  whites  came  among  the  Indians.  The  same 
thing  that  wampum  meant  with  the  Eastern  Indians.  A  word 
belonging  to  all  of  tb )  Sellsh  dialects. 

Hlada  (Hy-a-dah).— Name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  occupy  Queen 
Charlotte's  Island,  B.  C.  These  are  very  interesting  Indians 
and  are  the  most  advanced  of  any  of  the  coast  tribes.  They 
have  many  characteristics  in  common  with  the  Japanese,  in- 
cluding the  slanting  eyes,  yellow  skin,  tracing  ancestry 
through  the  mother  and  great  love  for  their  children.  They 
are  expert  workers  and  carvers  in  wood  and  metals  and  are 
the  canoe  and  totem  pole  makers  for  all  the  tribes  along  the 
coast.  Their  canoes  are  the  most  seaworthy  boats  afloat  for 
their  size,  as  the  writer  can  attest  from  experience  with  them, 
and  the  model  Is  almost  perfect.  They  hew  these  boats  from  a 
solid  log  of  Alaska  cedar,  depending  altogether  on  the  eye  for 
measurements  and  curves,  and  it  is  a  marvel  how  they  can 
cut  a  boat  out  of  the  log  and  have  it  rest  on  an  even  keel, 
properly  balanced  without  ballast,  when  put  in  the  water.  It 
is  oeyond  the  ken  of  white  m<'n.  The  great  Kuro  Siwah,  the 
Japanese  current,  washe.^;  againis .  the  shore  of  their  island 
home  and  may  account  for  tVa  residence  of  these  North 
American-Japanese  people  or.  t'lis  continent  by  bringing  their 
ancestors  here  in  its  drift  sometime  in  the  dark  ages  of  the 
past.  Who  can  tell?  They  are  canoe  Indians,  and  a  flsh-eat- 
ing  race,  and  have  very  many  Japanese  traits  of  character, 
and  one  is  at  once  struck  with  the  idea  that  they  are  degener- 
ated Japanese,  and  the  theory  of  their  origin  may  be  correct. 

Hiaa  (Hy-as).— Chinook  word  meaning  a  great  many,  much,  large, 
etc.;  "Hiaa  Tyee,"  a  great  chief;  "Hias  hiyu  Ictas,"  a  very 
great  many  things.    Hiyu  Is  also  used  alone  in  the  same  sense. 

Hoo-ie  (Hoo-ee).— Qulnault  word,  meaning  crazy. 

Hoots  (Hoots). — Hlada  name  for  the  brown,  or  cinnamon,  bear. 

Hootza  (Hoot-zay).— Hiada  name  for  the  wolf 


VOCABULARY   AND   HISTORICAL   APPENDIX.        319 


on- 


\ 


Hul-ioi-mie  (Hul-loy-mee).— Qulnault  language.  Meaning  differ- 
ent. 

Ill-a-hee  (Ill-lay-bee). — Chinook  word  meaning  ground  or  land. 

Itswoot  (Its-woot), — The  Black  Bear.    Qulnault  language. 

Ka-ke-hete  (Kay-kee-hete).— The  chief  of  all  demons,  origin  un- 
known, but  probably  from  one  of  the  numerous  tribes  of  the 
Selish  family  occupying'  the  territory  along  the  Columbia 
River  and  north  of  it  along  the  coast;  all  being  canoe  Indians. 

Ka-ki-i-sil-raah  (Kay-kee-I-sill-mah).— Name  of  an  Indian  story 
teller  of  the  T'suc-cuc-cub  tribe. 

Kamas  (Kam-mas).— Name  of  a  plant,  the  roots  of  which  are  used 
for  food. 

Ki-ki  (Ki-ky).— The  Blue  Jay.  Allied  tribes.  One  of  the  important 
characters  in  the  myths  of  the  Selish  tribes.  A  common  totem 
or  guardian  Tah-mah-na-wis  with  all  the  coast  Indians. 

Klt-si-nao  (Kit-si-nay-o). — Woman's  name  from  the  Hiada  lan- 
guage. 

Klack-a-mass  (Klack-a-mass).— From  one  of  the  Selish  dialects. 
A  man's  name.    Name  of  a  mythic  chief. 

Kla-how-ya  (Klay-how-yah).— The  Chinook  salutation,  "How  are 
you?" 

Kla-klack-hah  (Kla-klack-bahn). — A  woman's  name.  Selish  dia- 
lect.   Daughter  of  Klack-a-mass. 

Kiale  (Klail).— Chinook  word  meaning  any  dark  color,  but  usually 
used  to  mean  black  or  dark  blue. 

Klook-wah  (Klook-wah).— Qulnault  language,  west  coast  of  Wash- 
ington along  the  Quinault  or  Quiniault  River.  Moans  "good- 
bye," or  farewell. 

Kloo-kwallie  (Klue-kwally).— Quinault  language.  Name  given  to 
the  ceremony  of  the  Initiation  or  graduation  of  a  new  medicine 
man.  These  rites  consist  of  tortures  of  various  kinds  in  which 
fire  plays  an  important  part,  and  last  some  times  for  several 
days  and  always  until  the  candidate  for  medical  honors  Is 
exhausted.  These  men  are  sometimes  crippled  for  life  by  the 
horrible  tortures  inflicted  on  them  by  their  own  hands  partly, 
and  partly  by  the  rest  of  the  dancers.  The  Idea  of  it  all  being 
tp  let  the  mediciop  m^n  prove  }»lm9elt  aMe  Xq  cure  1)19  own 


820 


TOTEM   TALES. 


hurts  before  he  undertakes  to  cure  others.  These  rites  are 
gone  through  with  generally  several  times  before  the  doctor 
is  declared  fit  for  his  calling,  and  are  always  carried  on  in  the 
winter  season.  "Of  the  Kloo-kwallie"  is  the  best  description 
the  author  is  able  to  give  the  reader  of  the  actual  ceremony, 
but  cold  type  cannot  bring  into  the  scene  the  frenzy,  tho 
wierdness,  and  the  shivers  that  chase  one  another  along  your 
spine  as  you  watch  these  seeming  demons  dance  the  Kloo- 
kwallie.  There  is  a  wailing  rise  and  fall  to  the  Indian  chant, 
a  subdued  fierceness  that  cannot  be  described  and  which  can 
only  bn  heard  when  they  do  not  know  there  are  listeners 
about,  and  this  is  the  song  of  the  Kloo-kwallie.  the  song  that 
nobody  knows  and  the  English  tongue  does  not  contain  words 
that  will  describe  it  or  that  will  describe  the  wildness  of  a 
ceremony  such  as  the  Kloo-kwallie  belter  than  it  is  in  "Of  the 
Kloo-kwallie." 

Kula-kula  (KuU-lah-kuU-law). — Chinook  word  meaning  a  bird. 
Used  with  a  prefix  thus,  Tyee-Kula-kula  the  eagle,  or  to  trans- 
late literally,  "the  chief  bird." 

Klutch-man  (Klooch-man). — Chinook  word,  meaning  a  woman; 
"Nlka  Klutchman,"  my  wife;  "Hiyu  Klutchmen,"  many  wo- 
men. 

Lake  of  the  Mountains.— Lake  Union,  State  of  Washington. 

Mah-kook  (Maw-cook).— Chinook  word  meaning  "trade  or  barter. 
Probably  the  English  word  "market"  adopted  and  incorpo- 
rated into  the  jargon  from  intercourse  with  early  traders. 

Ma-sah-chee  (Me-saw-che). — Chinook  word  meaning  the  opposite 
of  good.    Anything  that  is  worse  than  just  plain  "bad." 

Medicine  bag.— A  little  bag  made  of  skin  usually  and  containing 
charms,  etc.,  to  ward  off  evil,  sickness,  and  to  bring  good  luck. 
The  contents  are  known  to  the  owner,  but  to  no  one  else,  and 
their  potency  is  immediately  lost  when  any  outsider  knows 
what  they  are  composed  of.  Sometimes  the  medicine  bag  is 
made  as  a  belt  and  highly  ornamented  with  bead  and  quill 
work. 

Mem-a-loose  (Mem-a-luce). — Chinook  word  meaning  dead.  "Cha- 
co  mem-a-loose,"  to  die. 


VOCABULARY    AND    HISTORICAL   APPENDIX.        321 


Mid-win-nle  (Mid-wlnny). — The  society  of  medicine  men.  The  ones 
who  practice  medf.cine,  magic,  religious  rites  and  cast  spells. 
Origin  unknown.  Common  to  a  great  many  tribes,  but  prob- 
aMy  of  Dakotah  origin. 

Moos-moos  (Moos-moos). — Chinook  v/ord  meaning  elk. 

Mowitch  (Mow-witch). — Chinook  word  meaning  deer. 

Now-itka  (Nowitka).— Chinook  word  meaning  yes. 

Oke-oke  (0-koke).  -Chinook  word  meaning  either  that  or  this,  ac- 
cording to  the  way  it  is  used  and  the  motion  that  accom- 
panies it. 

Olo  (Olo). — Chinook  jargon,  meaning  hungry. 

Opitsah  (0-pit-sah).— Chinook  word,  name  of  a  knife. 

Pelton  (Pell-ton). — Chinook  word  meaning  crazy. 

Pil-Chicamun. — Chinook  word  for  gold.    Literally,  red  metal. 

Polikely  (Po-like-lie). — Chinook  word  meaning  darkness,  night. 
"Polikely  kula-kula,"  the  owl,  the  night  bird. 

Puss-puss  (Puss-puss). — Chinook  word  for  the  cougar  or  mountain 
lion. 

Quaw-te-aht  (Quaw-tee-awht). — Name  of  a  mythic  character.  Ori- 
gin unknown  other  than  it  belongs  to  some  dialect  of  the  Selish 
tribes. 

Quoots-hoi  (Kwoots-hoy). — Name  of  a  mythical  witch.  Used  only 
in  the  Thunderbird  stories.  Selish  dialect,  but  tribe  aot 
known.  Probf>l>ly  originated  with  one  of  the  Columbia  River 
tribes  who  were  called  Chinook  Indians. 

Sah-ha-le  (Sah-hay-le). — Chinook  word  meaning  up  above.  Used 
in  connection  with  Tah-raah-na-wis  to  mean  the  Deity. 

S'amumpsh  (S'mum-psh). — Name  of  a  river  in  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington called  Sam-mam-ish,  by  the  whites.  From  the  Allied 
Tribes. 

P'doaks  (S'ss-doaks). — Hiada  language.    A  man's  name. 

Shot-o-lil-ie  (Shot-o-lily).— Chinook  word.  Name  of  the  Huckle- 
berry. 

Siah  (Si-ah).— Chinook  word.  Far  away,  a  long  distance.  "Slab 
Ahncutty,"  a  long  timf.  ago;  "Siah  yowah,    away  over  there. 

Siah-ahncutty  (Siah-ahn-cutty).— Chinook  jargon  meaning  in  the 
time  past.    licngth  of  time  is  indicated  by  drawing  out  the 


322 


TOTEM   TALES. 


.  \ 


words  £,llgh*ly  for  a  week  or  so  ago,  longer  for  two  or  three 
months,  and  very  long  for  the  time  before  men  can  remember. 

Siawash  (Si- wash).— A  name  among  the  whites  applied  to  any  In- 
dian of  the  west  coast  irrespective  of  his  tribe.  Generally 
meaning  the  canoe  Indians  of  Puget  Sound  and  the  islands  of 
the  Northwest. 

Skall-lal-aye  (Skall-lal-a).— Allied  tribes.  A  name  for  any  charm 
against  the  Skall-lal-a-toots  or  fairy  folk. 

Skailalatoot  (Skal-lal-a-toot). — A  fairy.  The  unseen  and  unknot  u 
causes  that  produce  strange  noises  in  the  woods.  Night  voices 
of  unknown  origin.  The  makers  of  mischief.  Originated  with 
one  of  the  six  tribes  who  combined  under  Chief  Sealth,  or 
Seattle  as  the  whites  pronounce  it.  These  allied  tribes  were 
the  Moxliepush,  D'wampsch,  Black  River,  Shillshole,  Lake 
and  T'suc-cuc-cub,  the  latter  being  the  tribe  to  which  Sealth 
properly  belongeu.  Many  words  contained  in  "Totem  Tales" 
are  from  this  group  of  dialects  and  are  spokeii  c*  as  the  Allied 
Tribes  when  mentioned. 

Skamson  (Skam-sun). — Hiada  language.  Name  of  the  Thunder- 
biid.  This  mythical  character  is  also  called  Ka-ka-itch,  Tu- 
tutsh,  T'hlu-Kluts  and  Hah-ness,  each  being  a  different  tribal 
name  for  the  same  personage. 

Sko-ko-mish  (Sko-ko-msh).— Name  of  a  river  emptying  into  Hood's 
Canal,  Wash.;  also  name  of  the  Twana  tribe  of  Indians  living 
on  its  banks  and  who  belong  to  the  Selish  or  flathead  group  or 
family  of  North  American  aborigines. 

Skoolt-ka  (Skule-t-kah).- -Woman's  name  from  the  Hiada  lan- 
guage. 

Snoqualm  (Snow-quallm).— The  moon.  Originated  probably  with 
the  Snoqualmie  tribe. 

Snugwillimie  (Snug-will-li-mie).— Quinault  language.  Used  to 
mean  friend,  but  used  by  an  Indian  only  to  mean  an  Inoian 
friend,  a  white  friend  being  eithar  "Tillacum"  or  "Squintrm." 

Spe-ow  (Spee-ow). — A  mythical  personage  whose  deeds  as  told  in 
the  legends  make  hi^  occupy  the  position  of  a  Creator.  Lep-  • 
end  of  Speow  and  the  Spider  is  very  common  among  the  co?  f 
tribes  of  the  Northwe.st,  and  "an  he  obtained  wilh  slight  varia- 
tions from  a  dozen  or  more  different  sources. 


VOCABULARY    AND   HISTORICAL    APPEMDIX.        323 

Spud-te-dock  (Spudt-tea-dock).— Twana  tribe.  A  protecting  spirit 
wlio  was  sometimes  represented  or  personified  by  a  wooden 
image  that  was  set  up  in  the  ground  by  the  medicine  man  and 
by  him  appealed  to  for  v»'.3dom  in  deep  questions.  This  is  the 
nearest  approach  to  an  idol  that  can  be  traced  among  the 
coast  tribes,  and  while  the  figure  was  consulted  for  knowledge 
it  can  hardly  be  said  that  this  was  done  in  a  religious  way, 
but  more  after  the  form  of  voo-doo-ism,  the  conjure  work  that 
is  found  among  all  savage  tribes.  This  spirit  was  merely 
made  in  efllgy  and  this  figure  consulted  and  argued  with  to 
give  the  medicine  man  knowledge  of  secrets  that  he  was  in- 
terested in. 
Squinlum  (Squind-tum).— A  white  man.  Word  of  unknown  ori- 
gin. Probably  from  the  Allied  Tribes,  though  «-,  may  be  of 
Quinault  origin. 
Stickeen  (Stick-keen).— The  country  where  tile  dead  people  live 

again.  Origin  unknown. 
Sweat  Lodge.— A  lodge  built  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  sweat  or 
a  steam  bath.  This  is  done  by  heating  stones  and  dropp..  g 
them  into  a  wooden  trough  containing  water  until  steam  is 
generated  and  th^  one  who  is  taking  the  bath  perspires  freely. 
It  is  the  Indian  turkish  bath  and  is  used  a  great  deal  in  sick- 
ness among  them. 
Tah-mah-na-wis  (Taw-maw-na-wiss).— A  name  applied  to  anythiBg 
the  Indians  cannot  understand.  A  protecting  or  guardian 
spirit  if  used  another  way.  Any  thing  of  a  magic  nature. 
Name  of  the  Deity.  A  Tah-mah-na-wi  i  man  is  a  doctor,  priest, 
conjurer,  and  fortune- ifc'ler,  a  dealej  in  magic  and  a  maker 
and  destroyer  of  charms  "or  good  md  evil,  all  in  the  same 
personage.  "Sah-ha-le  Tah-mah-na-wis,"  the  Great  Spirit; 
"Yah-ka  Tah-mah-na-wis,"  a  personal  guardian  spirit; 
"Tah-mah-na-wis  ictas,"  objects  of  magic  or  containing 
magic  properties.  "Klale  Tah-mah-na-wis,"  the  name  of  the 
secret  society  of  Black  Magic.  Anything  too  deep  for  the  grasp 
of  the  Indian  mind  is  charged  to  "Tah-mah-na-wis,"  and  ends 
there,  no  attempt  being  made  to  find  out  "why." 


324 


TOTEM    TALES. 


T'hlingits  (Thling-gits).— Name  of  a  tribe  of  Ind^.ans  north  of  Puget 
Sound.  Ti^rritory  they  occupy  runs  into  tlie  Panhandle  of 
Alaska. 

Tillacum   (TiU-ia;  —Chinook  word  for  friend. 

Tipsu  koshoo  (Tip-.  o-sho). — Chinook  word  meaning  water  pig, 
applied  to  the  hair  or  harbor  seal. 

T'komah  (Ti-ko-ma).— A  name  from  the  allied  tribes  applied  to 
any  high  snow  covered  peak.  Adopted  by  the  whites  and  used 
to  mean  Mount  Ranier,  called  by  some  people  erroneously  as 
Mt.  Tacoma.  The  Indian  name  for  this  mountain  means  "the 
one  that  feeds." 

T'kope-mowitch  (To-kope-mow-wltch). — The  Chinook  word  mean- 
ing white  goat  or  white  deer. 

T'kope  (Ti-kope).— White.  Chinook  word  for  the  color.  "T'kope 
kula-kula,"  the  sea  gull. 

Too-lux  (Tu-Iux).— Name  of  the  south  wind.  Tribal  origin  not 
known.    Word  belongs  to  some  one  of  the  Selish  dialects. 

Too-muck  (Too-muck). — A  name  applied  to  all  the  demons  of  In- 
dian mythology.    Chinook  word. 

Too-tah  (Too-taw). — Name  of  the  thunder.    Origin  unknown. 

Totem  (Totem). — A  charm  against  evil. — A  protector.  This  word 
is  found  in  universal  use  among  all  Indian  tribes  of  Central 
North  America  and  means  the  same  with  all.   Origin  unknown. 

Totem  Pole.— A  carved  pole  of  yellow  or  Alaska  cedar,  usually.  In 
no  sense  an  idol.  The  figures  on  these  poles  are  symbolic  and 
rarely  intended  as  a  portrait  of  the  object  represented,  though 
they  always  have  some  feature  that  makes  their  identity  plain, 
as  the  ears  in  the  figure  for  the  bear,  the  teeth  in  the  beaver, 
the  tail  in  the  shark  and  the  whale,  the  teeth  and  nose  in  the 
wolf,  etc.  The  carvings  are  family  history,  tribal  history, 
legendary  lore  and  records  of  various  happenings  of  a  far- 
reaching  character.  The  carving  is  done  by  a  few  carvers  in 
each  tribe,  the  Hiadas  being  the  most  expert  and  the  most 
lavish  in  designing.  Some  of  these  poles  are  very  large  and 
cost  a  great  deal  of  time  and  patience  in  the  manufacture,  and 
are  priceless  in  the  estimation  of  their  owners.  There  are  still 
many  things  connected  with  them  that  are  wholly  unknown 


VOCABULARY    AND    HISTORICAL  APPENDIX. 


325 


to  the  whites  and  which  will  likely  always  remain  more  or 
less  of  a  mystery.  Close  connection  and  resemblance  has 
been  found  to  exist  among  the  carvings  of  the  totem  pole,  the 
monoliths  of  Yucatan,  and  the  Egyptian  stone  records,  and 
some  points  have  even  been  found  in  common  with  the  idols 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  the  fetishes  among  the  savages  of 
Africa.  All  of  these  things  belong  more  or  less  to  the  dark 
ages  before  man  kept  a  record  of  events,  and  will  go  down  the 
path  of  time  as  profound  a  mystery  as  when  they  first  dawned 
on  the  horizon  of  thought  and  came  within  the  realm  of  the 
scholar.  They  will  always  be  silent  records  of  a  vanished 
people. 

Touats  (Tow-at-ss).— Hiada  language.  A  man's  name.  The  name 
of  the  mythical  hunter  who  figures  in  the  story  of  the  "Huiiter 
and  the  Bear." 

T'schumin  (Ti-schum-min).— The  instrument  used  in  making  ca- 
noes.   Name  from  the  allied  tribes. 

T'set-la-lits  (Tee-set-see-lay-litz).— From  the  T'suc-cuc-cub  dia- 
lect and  first  used  to  designate  the  first  settlement  on  the 
shore  of  Elliott  Bay,  Puget  Sound,  Wash.,  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Seattle. 

T'set-shin  (Ti-set-shin).— The  snake.  Origin  unknown,  but  prob- 
ably from  the  allied  tribes. 

T'sing  (T'sd-sing). — Hiada  word.    The  name  of  the  beaver. 

T'solo  (T'ss-solo). — Prom  the  allied  tribes,  meaning  lost  one,  wild, 
wanderer. 

Tumchuck  (Tum-chuck).— Chinook  word,  meaning  falling  water. 
Applied  to  any  water  fall  or  white  rapid  in  a  river.  Also  name 
of  a  swift  mountain  stream  in  State  of  Washington. 

Twana  (T-wan-nab). — Name  of  a  tribe  of  the  Selish  family  of  In- 
dians living  on  the  Sko-ko-mish  River.  Also  called  Sko-ko- 
mish  Indians. 

Tyee  (Tie-ee). — From  the  Chinook  jargon.  A  chief  or  head  man  of 
a  tribe  or  family. 

T'zura  (T'ss-zum).  —  Chinook  word  meaning  any  object  that  is 
painted,  printed,  written  or  otherwise  marked  with  color,  thus 
"T'zum-pish."  a  spotted  fish,  the  trout;  "T'zum-papah,"  a 
printed  or  written  paper;  "T'zum-sail,"  a  painted  picture. 


TOTEM   TALES. 


Wah-wah-hoo  (Wah-wah-who).— The  frog.  Origin  unknown,  but 
probably  from  the  Snoqualmie  tribe. 

Wee-nat-chee  (We-natch-chee).— The  rainbow.  This  name  origi- 
nates east  of  the  Cascade  range  of  mountains,  but  with  what 
particular  tribe  is  unknown.   Probably  with  the  Yahkimahs. 

*  Wee-wye-kee  (Wee-why-key). — The  Indian  name  of  Princess  An- 
geline,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Chief  Sealth  and  a  member  of 
the  T'suc-cuc-cub  tribe  who  lived  around  Elliott  Bay,  Wash. 

Yelth  (Yelth).— From  the  Hiada  tribe  who  live  on  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Island,  B.  C.  The  name  for  the  raven,  who  is  one  of 
the  mythical  characters  with  this  tribe  and  considered  the 
benefactor  of  man. 


NOTE.— Where  the  letter  T'  is  followed  by  the  apostrophe, 
as  above,  the  sound  of  the  T  is  "tiss,"  as  nearly  as  it  can  be 
written,  thus  makir^  a  syllable  of  itself,  as  Tiss-so-low,  for  T'solo. 
There  are  many  sounds  in  the  Indian  tongues  that  English  ha3 
no  equivalent  for,  so  they  must  be  represented  by  the  EngMsh 
sound  or  letter  coming  nearest. 


*  This  character  has  died  since  the  writing  of  the  above,  and 
leaves  many  mourners  among  the  early  settlers  of  Puget  Sound. 
She  was  a  noted  character  and  the  mascot  of  the  city  of  Seattle, 
because  in  early  days  she  was  instrumental  in  saving  the  city 
from  Indian  massacre.    See  History  of  the  State  of  Washington. 


i 


